Denmark: Raising Awareness at the Aarhus Festival

Located on the east side of the Jutland peninsula, Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark and a culturally rich educational and shipping centre. The Aarhus Festival is a week-long cultural event with concerts, theatre performances, lectures, fashion shows, and a food expo. Held just before Autumn when the weather is mild and pleasant, it is the largest festival in Aarhus. Falun Dafa practitioners have participated in the event every year since 2001.

The 47th Aarhus Festival was themed “Big World,” promoting rich and diverse cultures harmonizing around the world. At the event, Falun Dafa practitioners introduced the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and displayed the eastern tradition of cultivating the mind and body.

Many people came to find out more about Falun Dafa at the week-long “Aarhus Festival” in Denmark

On September 8, Falun Gong practitioners set up the banners along the bustling pedestrian street in downtown Aarhus, along with pictures illustrating the popularity of Falun Gong around the world, and the Chinese Communist Party's brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Many visitors asked why the Chinese regime persecutes a group of peaceful people. Upon learning that Chinese Communist Party can't tolerate a group of people believing in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance because its totalitarian rule is based on lies and violence, many signed the petition to support Falun Gong. One priest said, “The Communist regime persecutes Falun Gong, and even harvest organs from Falun Gong practitioners while they are still alive, to sell for profit! What an evil crime! If you go and invest there, aren't you supporting evil?”

A student majoring in Political Science at Aarhus University talked to a practitioner for a long time and resolved all of his questions. A young man from Iran took a flier and said to a practitioner, “I support you. I know a totalitarian government will commit all manner of crimes.”

A couple from Tibet stated that they know the Chinese Communists Party is ruthless, persecuting Tibetans, Falun Gong and other groups. The most evil thing is they took organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. After Bo Xilai and Gu Kailai's crimes were exposed, they learned about many underhanded crimes happening in China. They said they are paying close attention to China and hope the Communist regime will collapse soon.

People from China are more willing to talk to Falun Gong practitioners now, as they are no longer deceived by the Communist regime's propaganda. A young Chinese woman approached a practitioner and talked to her. Before leaving, she took some printed materials about the CCP's torture of Falun Gong practitioners and promised to read them later.

Some locals wanted to learn the exercises and asked the practitioners to teach them on site, while many others asked where they could learn the exercises in the future.