(Minghui.org) After a grand march in Manhattan’s Chinatown on the afternoon of July 20, about 1,000 Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Consulate next to the Hudson River for group exercises and a candlelight vigil. While mourning those practitioners who have lost their lives during the 25-year-long brutal persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), they also called for an end to the suppression of the innocent, which has been ongoing since July 1999.

Practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of Chinese Consulate in New York on July 20, 2024

Important Values for Society

The solemn scene attracted many passersby. After hearing about the tragedies caused by the CCP, some expressed their sympathy and support for practitioners.

Juan Reyes, a software developer in New York, said that this was first time he had heard about Falun Gong. He said that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance were very important because the values are part of humanity. These positive attributes can benefit not only practitioners, but also people around them, and help build good communities.

Juan Reyes said he agrees with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Coming from Venezuela to the United States when he was eight years old with his family, Reyes said he feels fortunate to live here and has the freedom to choose his belief. He felt very sorry for the mistreatment practitioners were suffering in China for their faith.

Stephen Ho, who lives in Long Island, said he often saw practitioners outside the Chinese Consulate. He was surprised to hear that practitioners in China were detained and tortured, and even became victims of forced organ harvesting. He said that people should stay away from communism, and he wished practitioners well.

Peaceful Exercises

Mima from Iran stood quietly watching as practitioners did the exercises. A practitioner explained Falun Dafa, and why practitioners held the event.

Mima (left) said she was interested in learning the exercises.

Mima said practitioners are good people, and she was shocked to hear that such a peaceful meditation system was severely suppressed in China. After learning the first and second exercises, she was excited because the movements were gentle and she could feel strong energy. She then learned the third and fourth exercises.

Rejecting the CCP

Yi Zhongyuan, president of the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP, said she and other Falun Gong practitioners did not give in despite harsh suppression by the CCP during the past 25 years because the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are extremely important.

She said she was happy to see that international society has gradually started recognizing the vicious nature of the CCP. “As more and more Chinese citizens are withdrawing their memberships in the CCP organizations, people in Western society are also rejecting the regime because everyone wants to stay away from danger,” she said.