Germany: Citizens and Tourists in Freiburg Concerned about Chinese Communist Party’s Live Organ Harvesting

On September 8, 2012, Falun Gong practitioners from Freiburg, a college town in southern Germany, held an Information Day activity. Although such “Information Days” have been held several times, a large number of tourists heard about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China for the first time. Many people were very surprised and indignant to hear about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and they supported practitioners’ effort to end the persecution. A dozen Chinese people, who had only recently left China, chose to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations after learning the facts from the practitioners.

Falun Gong Information Day in Freiburg, Germany, draws people to learn about the practice and the persecution in China

The fact of the persecution shocks people

Many tourists paused at the information booth, drawn by the banners "Falun Dafa Is Great" and “Disintegrate the CCP and Stop the Persecution.” While passing by the poster boards, some stopped to read, while others went straight to the booth to learn what it was all about. The most frequently asked questions were about the CCP’s crime of harvesting organs from live people.

When they heard that Falun Gong practitioners in China have been persecuted for 13 years because of their belief in Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance, many tourists were surprised. Upon seeing the photos of practitioners showing the effects of the brutal persecution, many said that similar human rights abuses took place under the former European communist totalitarian regimes. They had a hard time believing that such a tragic human disaster was happening in the current “prosperous” China. The CCP’s crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners disturbed many tourists.

People sign the petition to call for an end to the persecution

A German man studied the poster boards with his child beside him and asked his wife to pick up some informational materials. He said he was a businessman who has done business with China for many years, and he knew that Falun Gong was being persecuted in China, and that the human rights situation is very bad. He said, “Those Chinese people who do business with me have avoided the issue of Falun Gong. It is obvious how fiercely the Chinese regime is persecuting Falun Gong.” Having signed the petition to protest the persecution, he said that next time he went to China, he would tell those Chinese people about the persecution of Falun Gong and that nobody should be silent.

A middle-aged man looked at the photos of practitioners being persecuted and then went to the information booth. With a heavy heart, he asked in detail about the live organ harvesting. He had a long talk with a practitioner. While signing the petition, he said, "Such a thing should not be happening today! It is obvious that evil things are taking place. It is puzzling that such crimes have not been reported in the German media; it is extremely unusual! So you have done a great job in coming out to spread the facts! What you have been doing is not only for yourselves but for the conscience of humankind, to stop the evil and safeguard the basic human rights and the basic dignity of everyone."

Tourists who listened to the introduction supported the practitioners. They hoped that Falun Gong practitioners would continue to expose the CCP’s crimes and urge German and European politicians to stand up to help stop the persecution. Many people signed the petition to protest the persecution.

Chinese people quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations

Freiburg, a historic city in Germany, is located in the Black Forest. It attracts tourists from around the world, many of of them Chinese.

A Chinese woman and a Westerner paused to accept a flyer and then listened to a practitioner explanation of the facts. The Chinese lady told the practitioner that she and her companion were soon to get married. She felt hesitant when the practitioner encouraged her to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Suddenly, in Chinese, her fiancé said, "None of us like the Communist Party!" Then she readily agreed to quit.

Several young Chinese people riding bicycles stopped in front of the banners and studied the poster boards. They had come to Europe just recently for a short-term training session. When asked to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, they answered, “We’ve already quit it.” Then the practitioner asked if they had simply quit the CCP Youth League automatically at the age of 28. They all answered, “Yes.” The practitioner continued, “When you joined the Youth League, you had to hold up your right fist and swear that you would struggle for communism for your whole life. You did not say you would do it just until you were 28 years old.” They looked at each other, and one of them said, "That's right, who would like to struggle for it with your whole life! Please help us quit it now and thank you!" Each of them asked for a set of informational materials, saying “Thank you” and waving as they left.

Standing before the banner worded "The CCP does not equal China," a visiting Chinese scholar asked his companion to take a picture for him. He said, "I appreciate this message; it clarifies the issue." He glanced at the brochure in his hand, saying if only he could take it back to China. On hearing this, a practitioner knew that he had no software to break through the CCP's information blockade. So the practitioner told him how to get the software so that he could visit websites in other countries for the latest news. He said with regret, "Why am I finding this out so late? Please teach me how to use it!" Finally, he quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations with an alias.

After learning the truth about the CCP-staged Tiananmen self-immolation incident, another visiting scholar signed the petition with emotion, saying that the CCP was telling a big lie and that he would tell his students the facts about Falun Gong.

Before the end of the day, city residents came to the booth, asking for updated information. On seeing something new, one asked, “Can I take more for my friends.” Some came to inquire about the local practice site to learn Falun Gong. Others asked, “What can we do for you to support your activities?”