(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Germany celebrated World Falun Dafa Day (May 13) in Frankfurt on May 16. Practitioners held a rally on Rossmarkt Marktplatz and a parade in the center of the city.
Practitioners’ parade in Frankfurt to celebrate the 27th World Falun Dafa Day (Minghui.org)
Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises. (Minghui.org)
Rally on Rossmarkt Marktplatz (Minghui.org)
Exercise demonstrations at the rally (Minghui.org)
Practitioners do the dragon dance. (Minghui.org)
Waist drum performance (Minghui.org)
People learn about Falun Dafa. (Minghui.org)
People sign petitions calling for an end to the persecution. (Minghui.org)
“So Peaceful”
Sven, who walked over from a different rally, said, “The police officer on duty at the other rally told me to come here to find out about and sign a petition to support Falun Gong practitioners.”
He said the officer told him about it after he spotted the practitioners’ event from a distance, adding, “Falun Gong is so peaceful, and there’s a really positive atmosphere.”
Sven noticed that practitioners did not shout to draw attention. “There’s no loud noise,” he said. “They are very calm, and you feel their wholehearted sincerity. I think this comes from compassion.” He said that their peaceful demeanor left a deep impression on him.
When he learned about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of practitioners in China, Sven said, “Being persecuted simply for upholding their faith is completely wrong. These people shouldn’t be suppressed.”
“Universal Principles That Guide All Humanity”
Alex at the rally (Minghui.org)
Alex, who was t the rally, said “It looks very serene and peaceful. The colors are also very beautiful. I’m impressed.” Alex had practiced a form of meditation and was quite familiar with the idea of spiritual practice. He was interested to hear that Falun Gong is a body and mind practice rooted in ancient Chinese civilization. He saw Shen Yun three years ago. “I am happy to see that [Falun Gong practitioners] keep spreading this traditional culture,” he said.
After learning that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are the core values of the practice, he said, “I believe these are universal principles that guide all humanity.”
“Very Appealing”
Herthomati (Minghui.org)
IT engineer Herthomati said, “The atmosphere here is very calm and appealing. They organized everything well, from the clothing to the colors. Everything here appears peaceful.”
Regarding the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, he said, “This is new to me. I come from an Islamic country, Tunisia, but I find this appealing. Regardless, we must learn about faith and truly put it into practice. This is meaningful. It is beneficial to the mind, heart, and body.”
Herthomati thought the CCP’s persecution was “very strange … the government is afraid of its people.”
He signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution. “The topic of human rights is important to me,” he said. “Chinese culture is diverse, and I am interested in it.”
“So Eye-Catching”
Katja and her son stopped to watch the parade. When asked about her impression of the event, she smiled and said, “This parade is so eye-catching. This is a good way to draw public attention. This event is a good thing.”
After she heard about the persecution, she said, “I had no idea such unjust things were happening there.” She noticed that articles in the media on China mention the prevalence of AI surveillance and digital surveillance and sometimes the disregard for human rights and absence of democracy, but such serious persecution is rarely covered, so many peopleare are unaware of it.
She said, “I’m glad to see these practitioners publicly expressing their viewpoints to get public attention. I think this is great.”
Passerby From India Expresses Gratitude
Dhanush (Minghui.org)
Dhanush, an engineer from Bangalore, India, chatted with practitioners for a long time. He shared that, while attending school in India, he learned Falun Gong from practitioners who were teaching there. He said that Falun Gong “could bring people inner peace. And Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? We were taught these every day.”
He expressed his gratitude to Master Li and said, “I started practicing Falun Gong when I was little, right at our school. There were around 1,000 students at our school, and I was one of them.”
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