Germany: When a Wedding Party Runs Into a Protest against the Persecution

Falun Gong practitioners held a series of activities in front of the Spital Church in Bayreuth to protest the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong in China on September 1, 2012. It was the seventh weekend that they held activities here.

Information on reports done by WOIPFG on how the CCP agents harvested organs from living Falun Gong practitioners was played through a speaker. The practitioners also played testimonies from people who witnessed the crime and voices of support from political figures and NGOs. There was a re-enactment of how organ harvesting was done at the protest scene. Many passersby expressed their disbelief and anger toward such brutality and left their signatures on the petition to stop the persecution.

Passersby learn the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong in Bayreuth

Passersby sign the petition to condemn the persecution of Falun Gong

At about 2:00 p.m., a wedding was held in the Spital Church. The bride's father was not happy about the demonstration of live organ harvesting in front of the church. He asked the practitioners to leave and called the police.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Wang spoke with the father. He said that he did not want to see any bloody scenes near his daughter's wedding. Ms. Wang agreed with him and told him that the purpose of the protest was to stop such bloody scenes from taking place for real. Ms. Wang then explained to him how the CCP persecuted Falun Gong practitioners and stole their organs for profit.

The father was in disbelief and said that it only happened in a few provinces in China. Ms. Wang told him that takes place everywhere in China because under the CCP's rule, there wasn't freedom of belief and violation of human rights exists everywhere.

The father told Ms. Wang that he was very supportive of the activities, “What you are doing is right and I have nothing against it. It's just that a wedding is supposed to be joyous.”

Ms. Wang told him that she understood and she did not expect a wedding to take place that day. She offered her blessings to the newlyweds and gave the father a handmade paper lotus flower. She explained to him the meaning of the words on the flower. The words were “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She told the father that the lotus symbolizes purity in traditional Chinese culture and carries the blessings from Falun Gong practitioners.

The father was very pleased and agreed very much with the words “Truthfulness-Compassion- forbearance.” Ms. Wang told him that she would like to give two lotus flowers to the newlyweds. The father wanted Ms. Wang to present the flowers to them in person. He told her that the bride would come out first after the ceremony and asked her to turn off the speaker. The father then went inside the church.

When the bride came out of the church, Ms. Wang delivered two small lotus flowers to her hand. She was very happy. When the father came out, he thanked Ms. Wang. Ms. Wang told them that the flowers represented blessings from China and from Buddhas and gods because Falun Gong was originated from China and is a Buddha School cultivation practice.

The bride and bridegroom took pictures with their families and friends. In the process, the two held the lotus flowers in front of them. The flowers were in every picture they took in the next few minutes.