Finland: Celebrating the Fifth World Falun Dafa Day in Helsinki

The 13th of May 2004 was the fifth anniversary of World Falun Dafa Day and it was also the 12th anniversary of the day when Falun Dafa was first taught publicly by Master Li Hongzhi. Falun Dafa practitioners in Nordic countries organised some activities in the Esplanadi Park in central Helsinki to tell people about Falun Dafa, as well as the persecution Falun Dafa practitioners have been under in China for the last five years.

Practitioners demonstrated Falun Gong exercises all day long and distributed flyers. Numerous people stopped to view the photo exhibition in the park called “the peaceful journey of Falun Dafa.” It portrayed the history of Falun Dafa in China and abroad. Falun Dafa was brought to public in 1992 and it quickly became the most popular Qigong practice in China. The exhibition also showed the cruelty of the persecution and the peaceful and non-violent resistance by Falun Gong practitioners.

One schoolteacher stopped to watch the exercises with a few of his students. He told the younger students, “With this practice one can stay healthy.” The students wondered, “Why is Falun Gong persecuted in China?” The teacher explained to them patiently that there are probably lots of these practitioners in China and the leaders in China were afraid that their power base would be threatened.

A man was viewing the exhibition and he wanted to sign the petition. A young man walked past him and asked, “Why are people being persecuted in China?” A man looking at the exhibition said, “I am a priest and I’ve been observing this persecution. The communist party doesn’t accept any spiritual practice. This persecution is wrong.”

Two men in boiler suits walked past the pictures showing the persecution, and they expressed their sympathy for the persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in China by signing the petition. A lady who had been viewing the exhibition and exercise demonstration for quite some time wished that in business relations with China, the appalling human rights situation would also be considered. Many tourists in the park got a flyer in their own language. People were very much aware of the persecution and many wished us a good future; they said they supported the practitioners to take more action in bringing the Falun Gong practitioners human rights tragedy into the public spotlight.

Paper-folded lotus flowers were also given to passers by. They were half made already and people could open the flowers themselves while completing the folding. Many children came to ask for more flowers from practitioners.