(Minghui.org) Practitioners in the San Francisco Bay Area held a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate on April 24, 2026 to mark the 27th anniversary of the April 25 appeal in Beijing .

Practitioners in the San Francisco Bay Area held a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate on April 24, 2026 to commemorate the April 25 appeal.

Participant Recalls the April 25 Appeal

Practitioner Ms. Liu lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and participated in the April 25 appeal in Beijing in 1999.

Ms. Liu said she had gone to group practice in Beijing the morning of April 25, 1999, when she learned about the arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin. She and other practitioners then went to the State Appeals Office by bike.

“I was calm and not afraid,” Ms. Liu recalled. “Our purpose was simple: to request the release of the Tianjin practitioners who were being detained and to ask for a normal environment to practice Dafa.”

She said that the scene was peaceful, with thousands of practitioners lining up. Young people stood in the front row and elders behind them. No one shouted. As they waited, some read books and some did the exercises.

What struck her most was the appearance of a colorful Falun in the sky at around noon. Many practitioners were moved to tears. The police who were on site also raised their heads to look and were touched.

Practitioners left in an orderly fashion after the issue was resolved in the evening—the practitioners in Tianjin had been released. Ms. Liu said with emotion, “It was an unprecedented, large-scale, and peaceful appeal.”

Ms. Liu said that before practicing in 1997, she had a hot temper, and others in her work unit were afraid of her. But within a week of practicing, her chronic lumbar ailments and gynecological conditions were resolved, and even more significantly her moral character underwent a qualitative transformation.

“Master teaches us to be better people. I transformed from being a short-tempered person into a peaceful one. This led me to realize how extraordinary Dafa is,” she said.

Personal Awakening from the Appeal

Practitioner Zhang Hong recalled that she was in the United States when the April 25 appeal occurred. She later learned that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) had put out slanderous news reports, saying that the peaceful appeal was instead a besieging of its headquarters.

Ms. Zhang said that the practitioners went to the State Appeals Office to request their fundamental human rights without any political purpose. Her mother-in-law participated in the appeal in Beijing and told her that it was a peaceful event and practitioners had just stood quietly.

She said that this incident helped her understand the nature of the CCP, and she became more determined in cultivation. The CCP’s persecution has lasted 27 years. She said that as long as the persecution continues, she will come to the consulate every year to voice her support for practitioners in China.

Passersby Support Practitioners

Local resident Margarita lives near the Chinese consulate. She said that Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are universal values and should be supported by the public.

Local resident Margarita signs a petition calling for an end to the persecution.

She said that the appeal was righteous and should get more attention and support. “This protest is good,” she said.

Although practitioners continue to peacefully protest, the CCP continues the persecution and conducts state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from practitioners in China. After learning about this, Margarita signed the petition calling for an end to the human rights abuses.

Chenna and Akhila from India also signed the petition. Chenna said, “We fundamentally agree with Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.” He mentioned that Buddhism originated from India and that they felt sympathy for Falun Gong practitioners.

Chenna said he did not know the details about the April 25 appeal, and he would learn more about it. He said he supported the practitioners’ basic request for a normal cultivation environment.

Brandon, a local resident, read the posters and then said that forced organ harvesting was unacceptable. He and his wife both signed the petition.

Brandon and his wife sign the petition.

Brandon said that he had not heard of Falun Gong before. After learning about the practice’s principles, he said, “I like Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.”