(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Melbourne, Australia, held a parade and rally on May 9, 2026, to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day, which falls on May 13.
Passersby who stopped and watched said they sensed energy and agreed with the universal values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
The parade, which was an hour long, started at noon in Queen Victoria Gardens, wove its way through the center of the city and Chinatown, and ended at the State Library of Victoria, where the practitioners held a rally.
Practitioners’ parade in Melbourne on May 9 to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and express gratitude to the founder of Falun Dafa, Master Li Hongzhi (Minghui.org)
The Tian Guo Marching Band led the parade. Their resounding drumbeats and the uplifting melodies caught people’s attention, and many stopped to watch.
The “Falun Dafa Is Good” section of the parade was a colorful display in the center of the city and also reflected the practitioners’ inner peace and resilience.
Banners about the persecution in China and the practitioners’ performances were accompanied by beautiful music and lively rhythms, prompting many people to record the event on their mobile phones.
Practitioners’ rally in front of the State Library of Victoria (Minghui.org)
Rebel Jom, a representative of the Melbourne Falun Dafa Association, spoke at the rally to give listeners some background on the practice.
She said Falun Dafa, which is also called Falun Gong, was first made public by Mr Li Hongzhi on May 13, 1992, and that its core principles are Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Falun Dafa has benefited its practitioners in countless way. Many have found that they have more energy, sleep better, and are in better health. Their personal relationships have even improved. They have also gained inner peace and a more positive attitude as their understandings of the meaning of life and spiritual growth have deepened.
Falun Dafa has spread to more than 100 countries and regions over the past 34 years and received over 10,000 awards. Its main book Zhuan Falun has been translated into 50 languages.
State MP at the Rally
David Limbrick, a libertarian and Victoria State Member of Parliament (MP), addressed the rally. (Minghui.org)
Mr. Limbrick said that he supported Falun Gong practitioners’ freedom of belief, speech, and assembly, and that was the reason he attended the rally.
He said that the values of the practice, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, are very important and resonate with many Australians. He admired the practitioners for their peaceful and restrained protests over so many years.
He was happy to see that practitioners can exercise their freedom of belief in Australia, although they would not have that right in some parts of the world.
Several events were held in front of the State Library over the weekend, and Mr. Limbrick noted that the Falun Dafa group coordinated with the other groups so that everything went smoothly for all concerned. He said that this peaceful attitude and the way they handle things would affect how people viewed them, which was very important.
He wished practitioners every success in the future. He said that people needed to persevere and not to be afraid to exercise their rights in Australia, that every Australian enjoyed these rights and was protected.
Duy Quang Nguyen, chairman of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Vietnamese Community, came to the rally to support Falun Dafa practitioners. (Minghui.org)
Retired Banker: Feeling Positive and Encouraging Energy
Bhupinder Singh, a retired banker who immigrated to Australia five years ago, saw the parade outside Central Station and videotaped it.
This was the first time he had heard of Falun Dafa. He said he was impressed by the parade, which was colorful, had intriguing music and was a fresh experience for him.
Bhupinder Singh and his wife (Minghui.org)
Mr. Singh worked in a well-known commercial bank in India for 34 years before he retired. He said that Falun Dafa’s core principles resonated with him. He said he appreciated that people could live in harmony and peace by following these values, because they encourage friendship among neighbors and elevate people.
He said that the world would be more beautiful if more people complied with these principles, especially in the current circumstances. He said people could live peacefully and enjoy the life that God has bestowed upon them.
He said he could sense the practitioners’ energy and was encouraged by their devotion.
City Council Officer: The Parade Is Amazing and Full of Uplifting Energy
An official with the city of Melbourne who saw the parade on the way to his office said he thought it was amazing.
He said that, despite the rain, the people in the parade seemed overjoyed, which left the onlookers with a sense of uplifting energy and made them feel good. He thanked practitioners for the wonderful parade.
As a city councilor, he believed that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance were very important and was grateful to practitioners for spreading those wonderful values. He said that he would learn more about Falun Dafa.
“I Want To Learn Falun Dafa”
Furio Donici, a volunteer (Minghui.org)
Furio Donoci, a former developer and current volunteer for the underprivileged, was impressed by the rally and wanted to learn more about Falun Dafa.
He already knew about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of practitioners in China and knew that the CCP deprives practitioners of their right to freedom and persecutes them cruelly.
He stayed for the entire rally. He said that he’d been hospitalized three times and had survived death. He said he was very spiritual and believed in superpowers, so he was drawn to spiritual practices.
He said that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are very good principles and he tried to comply with them. He also said that the world would benefit from these values and become more spiritual.
He was pleased to learn that there was a practice site in the center of the city and said he wanted to learn Falun Dafa.
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