Portugal: Raising Awareness about Falun Gong in Six Cities

From July 11-17, Falun Gong practitioners from Portugal held events in six cities, Lisbon, Santaren, Setubal, Coimbra, Porto, and Guarda to raise awareness about Falun Gong and the brutal persecution of the peaceful meditation practice in China, which began on July 20, 1999.

In each city, practitioners first visited the mayor's offices, either talking to the mayor in person, or the mayor's assistant. Many of the staff members who received the practitioners were very interested in learning more about Falun Gong.

People in Coimbra signing the petition.	Demonstrating the exercises in Coimbra.

People in Coimbra learning the exercises.

In every city, practitioners demonstrated the exercises, set up information display boards, passed out flyers, and collected signatures. In Lisbon, practitioners set up a booth at the plaza in front of the city hall. Many people wanted to learn the exercises, and many signed the petition.

A girl in Guarda signs the petition.	Demonstrating the exercises in Guarda.

In Santaren, practitioners passed out flyers in front of the court house. Many lawyers accepted the flyers, and were shocked by the brutality of the persecution. Some Chinese learned the facts about the persecution from the practitioners, and decided to renounce their memberships to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Signature collection in Porto.	People in Porto viewing the display boards.

In Setubal, practitioners passed out materials to the policemen. Many of them were interested in learning the exercises. A concert was held near practitioners' booth. After the concert, many people stopped to sign the petition condemning the persecution. A Chinese businessman talked to practitioners, and was shocked by the Communist regime's crime of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. He and his children also renounced their memberships to the CCP.

People in Setubal signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution.

Demonstrating the exercises in Setubal.

Passersby in Coimbra commented that the exercises look beautiful and peaceful. “This is what we need in Coimbra,” one local said. Many local citizens signed the petition.

In Porto, crowds of people gathered to watch the exercise demonstration in front of the city hall. Nearly all the city employees, including the mayor, staff, guards, and janitors, were interested in learning more and took informational materials.