(Minghui.org) Paris’s 13th Arrondissement is home to a large Asian community and features ethnic shops and restaurants that attract locals and tourists. A large shopping center located near the Place d’Italie draws many shoppers, making the area a bustling and lively hub.

Falun Dafa practitioners held an event on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the 13th Arrondissement’s Place d’Italie. They demonstrated the exercises, talked to people about Falun Dafa and the persecution, and collected signatures on a petition calling for the persecution to end.

The practitioners introduced Falun Dafa and its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution and its state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting that targets practitioners in China. Many people were shocked, and signed the petition. Some learned the exercises on the spot, and afterward said they felt relaxed and calm. Some asked where the nearest practice site was.

Practitioners held an event at the 13th Arrondissement’s Place d’Italie on Saturday, June 6. (Minghui.org)

People signed a petition calling for the persecution to end. (Minghui.org)

People Praise Falun Dafa

Valérie lingered for a long time and watched the practitioners meditate and demonstrate the exercises. She took videos of the exercise demonstration and said she would go to one of the exercise sites in Paris to learn the exercises. She said, “Falun Dafa is very tranquil. In this world filled with war and violence, we really need healthy things. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance can nurture the soul, which is a practice of non-violence. Cultivating in a relaxed manner is beneficial for one’s health. We really need things like this to soothe the soul. Falun Dafa is wonderful and deserves high praise.”

After following a practitioner to do the second exercise, Hamida said she felt as though she had a very good rest. She said, “This practice provides a deeply calming experience that benefits both the mind and body. This indeed is a very good practice because we can temporarily separate ourselves from this world, which is filled with violence and hardship, where one is constantly on the move. The practice gives us a peaceful moment to be alone and truly rest. I’m so grateful for it!”

Hamida agreed with Falun Dafa’s guiding principles, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and said, “The world is always so hectic nowadays that kindness and patience are getting hard to find, and life is tough. We really need these traits to keep us kind and patient.” She said she planned to go to the practice site to learn Falun Dafa.

“This Is Genocide”

When Marie-Staphane, who used to be a teacher, passed by the Falun Dafa event and learned how the CCP persecutes practitioners, including harvesting their organs, she was alarmed, “This is unimaginable. We cannot even conceive of it. This is a major scandal. I don’t understand why nations do not strive to eliminate these things.”

She continued, “In the realm of international politics, there are still ways to put up a fight. As this is a criminal act, it goes beyond the mere scope of political issues. This is genocide, which is a crime. Thus, we must treat them (the CCP) like criminals. It is really unbelievable. I didn’t know about this in the past. I did not know that things were so serious.” She encouraged the practitioners to gather their courage and persevere.

The CCP Is a Dictatorial Regime

Bertrand was shocked when he read the content on the exhibition board about the CCP’s persecution and forced organ harvesting of the Dafa practitioners. He signed the petition, and said, “The CCP is totalitarian, and a bloody, dictatorial regime. It has no concept of human nature. I hope the Chinese people are able to break free from these shackles, regain their democracy, and think freely.”

Monique was a university geography professor before she retired, and she traveled to China several times to conduct field studies on land forms and natural disasters. She spent a long time talking with the practitioners at the Place d’Italie, and strongly opposed the CCP’s persecution of the practitioners, which deprives them of their freedom of belief.

She said, “The Chinese people possess long-standing traditions, such as Falun Dafa. However, the CCP is an authoritarian regime. But every individual is unique, and their rights must be respected.