(Minghui.org) To mark the 27th anniversary of the April 25 appeal, Falun Gong practitioners in Poland held activities in Warsaw’s Old Town Market Place and Dluga Street – the Long Lane, a popular tourist attraction in Gdańsk, Northern Poland, on April 25, 2026. The activities attracted the attention of many residents, tourists, and tour groups, including Chinese people.

Practitioners held simultaneous activities in Warsaw’s old town market place and on Dluga Street, in Gdańsk, to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the appeal in Beijing.

Twenty-seven years ago, 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners went to the Appeals Office in Beijing to peacefully request the freedom to practice their faith and engage in dialogue with the government. This peaceful appeal astounded the world. Many people saw the moral courage displayed by Falun Gong practitioners for the first time. They saw the power of conviction in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The media inside and outside China highly commended their appeal.

Passersby read information and listened as practitioners explained the facts about the persecution and signed the petition to call for an end to it.

It Is a Practitioner’s Honor and Responsibility to Safeguard Dafa

Monika participated in the activities to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the appeal.

Monika was deeply moved by the activities that were held to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the appeal. She said, “This day has exceptional meaning for me, I have seen the spirit and exemplary values continue until today, from 27 years ago. All practitioners face defaming propaganda by the CCP, and the cold attitude of people due to misunderstandings. We run into governments from various countries that don’t know the truth, and even when we face the CCP’s brutal persecution, we always clarify the facts calmly and rationally. Just like 27 years ago, when Falun Gong practitioners stood outside the government building in Beijing, they were so kind and peaceful. As a practitioner, I feel deeply that safeguarding Dafa is our honor and responsibility.

“On this day, we especially remember those practitioners who continue to suffer and lose their lives for refusing to give up their faith and upholding the truth. On this day, we particularly remind ourselves to progress on the path of cultivation diligently. I am especially grateful to Master on this day for bestowing on us an inimitable gift. I want to let more people know that Falun Dafa is great, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great.”

We Should Uphold Universal Values

Chinese practitioner Mr. Huang said, “From April 25, 1999, when Falun Gong practitioners went to Beijing to appeal and uphold the right to freedom of belief until today, 27 years have gone by. Although Falun Gong is brutally suppressed by the CCP, it continues to stand upright, and it is now practiced around the world. This has caught the dictatorship by surprise, and it is terrified.

“Practitioners in Poland, Ukraine, and all around the world come together to commemorate April 25. We hold activities to express our firm conviction: Falun Dafa is great! We want to tell people in this chaotic world, where moral values are declining, that we need to uphold conscience, persist in being a good person, uphold universal values, and only then will we have a wonderful future. I hope Chinese people who don’t know the facts about Falun Gong awaken to the truth soon, and get rid of the CCP’s mental shackles.”

Practitioner Recounts April 25 Beijing Appeal

Pham recounted what happened that day. He said, “Although I was not present, from video recordings, photos, and reports, I know for sure the actions of Falun Gong practitioners did not violate any law in China. Every participant in the appeal was voluntary because if this happened today, I too would do the same thing. Falun Gong practitioners did not display any banners or flags or shout slogans, and no one clashed with the police. After a reply was received, practitioners calmly and quietly left. They even cleaned up the area. How can this be turned into ‘besieging Zhongnanhai’ as the CCP claimed! Such obvious, intentional framing propaganda only goes to show how guilty and evil the CCP is.”

We Must Continue to Practice Diligently

Tomek

Tomek expressed his thoughts: “Today is the 27th anniversary of practitioners’ peaceful appeal in Beijing. Regardless of how brutal the persecution was, how severe the torture practitioners went through, how horrifying the crimes committed by the CCP, Falun Gong practitioners never retaliated with violence. All our gatherings are rational and peaceful. This clearly displays good and bad, kindness and evil in this world. This led to many people realizing the true face of the CCP. We must remember April 25, this remarkable day, no matter how evil and sinister the persecution. We must practice cultivation with the determination we had when we first started so that more people know the facts on Falun Gong.”

This year, practitioners had Falun Gong information booths in Warsaw’s old town market and Dluga Street on April 25, and they were particularly eye-catching. The soothing music, exercise demonstrations, and orderly rows of practitioners doing the exercises made people stop in their tracks to read or take photos. Some learned the exercises or talked to practitioners. Nearly everyone who learned the facts about the persecution signed the petition to call for an end to the atrocities.

A young man from China stood in front of the display talking on his mobile phone. When a practitioner walked closer, one could hear him discussing Falun Gong with the person on the other end of the line. The young man was reading the contents of the display. When he saw practitioners approaching, he waved and greeted them amicably and continued reading the information to the person on the phone.

Antoni, a firefighter from Italy on vacation in Poland, and Areksand stopped and watched practitioners meditate. They asked for flyers about Falun Gong in English and said they planned to go online to find out more about the practice. When they learned how practitioners are persecuted in China and even have their organs harvested, they were very shocked. When they realized it was true, they signed the petition without hesitation and gave practitioners a thumbs up to express their support.

A priest of the Roman Catholic church who was holidaying in Poland chatted with practitioners for a long time. He asked in detail about the history of Falun Gong and the current situation of the persecution. He had a deep discussion with practitioners and asked about Falun Gong’s guiding principles. He said he was moved by the spirit of Falun Gong and was interested in reading Falun Gong books.

Background: What Is the April 25 Appeal?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries worldwide. Millions of people have embraced the teachings—which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance as well as five gentle exercises—and experienced improved health and well-being.

On April 23 and 24, 1999, police officials in Tianjin, a city near Beijing, assaulted and arrested dozens of practitioners who gathered outside a magazine office to discuss errors in a recently published article attacking Falun Dafa. As word spread of the arrests and more practitioners inquired with officials, they were told they had to take their appeals to Beijing.

The following day, April 25, some 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners spontaneously gathered at the Central Appeals office in Beijing, as they had been instructed by Tianjin officials. The gathering was peaceful and orderly. Several Falun Dafa representatives were called in to meet with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and members of his staff. That evening, practitioners’ concerns were answered. The arrested practitioners in Tianjin were released, and everyone went home.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the CCP, perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners due to the persecution over the years; the actual number is suspected to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.