Slovakia: Touring Eastern Slovakia with a Petition Against the Persecution of Falun Gong

From the 25th until the 29th October a petition tour took place through the cities of Presov, Vranov nad Toplou, Kosice and Svidnik in eastern Slovakia. The goal of the tour was to support the human rights of Falun Gong practitioners who have been persecuted in China since 1999.

On Thursday in Presov it was a rather rainy day, but the practitioners nevertheless set up their stands and table and asked passers by to sign the petition. People were not discouraged by the bad weather and they came to sign the petition even under an umbrella. Many people remembered practitioners from previous events and asked whether the situation in China had improved. Practitioners could unfortunately only say that the persecution continues behind the scenes.

People of all ages came to sign the petition

In Vranov nad Toplou, the practitioners were welcomed by a nice sunny day which lasted the whole day. Local residents curiously came to watch demonstrations of the five sets of Falun Gong exercises and asked what the practitioners were doing? They learned that people in China have lost their lives at the hands of the Communist Party just for practising these exercises; they didn’t hesitate to add their signature to the petition. People of all ages came to sign the petition, from young children to elderly people.

On Saturday in Kosice, a reporter from local newspaper Novy Cas came to interview the practitioners and later published an article about the persecution of Falun Gong and about the accompanying undertaking “silhouettes of compassion”, where the passers-by could outline their silhouette on the pavement as an expression of compassion with the victims of the communist regime. An elderly lady, who stopped at one of the silhouettes, signed and said “That chalk will be washed down by the rain. You should draw it with something more durable.”

A reporter from a local newspaper interviewed practitioners

On Monday in Sabinov the practitioners met with the City Mayor, who signed the petition asking to stop the persecution and torture of Falun Gong practitioners in China. He was interested in details of the persecution and after learning the facts he wished the practitioners success in their efforts to stop the persecution.

During the petition in the city there came small helpers – children – who curiously learned the exercises, helped to give out leaflets and asked passers-by to sign the petition. It was clear that they meant it from the bottom of their hearts.

Local children were very keen to help out

More then 1,300 people signed the petition during those four days, which proves the high solidarity and support the people in eastern Slovakia have for Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China.