(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in northern France were invited to attend the Associations Forum held on Unelles in Coutances, Manche, in central France.

The Associations Forum is a traditional French event, held nationwide each September to educate the public about various associations and their activities. Falun Dafa practitioners set up a booth to introduce the five exercises and raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution.

Practitioners also collected signatures on a petition to the G7+7 countries [Editor's Note: The G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States; the +7 includes Argentina, Australia, India, Israel, Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan], calling them to help stop the CCP’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from Falun Dafa practitioners.

It was a sunny day and many people stopped at the colorful Falun Dafa booth. In addition to participating in the forum, practitioners also organize weekly exercises in Coutances. Many visitors who stopped at the booth said they were interested in learning the exercises.

People learn about Falun Dafa and sign the petition.

A man said he was overly stressed at work so he was very interested in the exercises. His wife added, “He really needs a practice like this.”

A woman who recently lost her husband said she practiced some qigong exercises in the past but hadn’t found one that suited her. After talking with a practitioner, she said emotionally, “This is the practice I’ve been waiting for.”

Another local resident recalled seeing practitioners do the exercises in the park a few years ago and receiving an origami lotus flower keepsake with a bookmark which had “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance” printed on it. She expressed her joy at meeting practitioners again and said she wished to learn the exercises.

After learning about the persecution, many people signed the petition. One woman, whose daughter-in-law is from China, spent a long time at the booth, discussing the exercises and the situation in China with practitioners. She said she hadn’t previously known about the persecution, but wasn’t surprised. She also mentioned that many Chinese people living abroad don’t want to return. She signed the petition, expressed her intention to attend the practice site, and thanked the practitioners for their kindness.

A couple of a qigong instructor also signed in support. They also took home a G7+7 petition flyer with a QR code, planning to post it at their own facility so students could sign it. They were delighted to receive small lotus flower keepsakes.

At the end of the event, practitioners, in collaboration with the organizers, demonstrated the five Falun Dafa exercises. The demonstration drew more attention and interest in the practice.