Belgium: Practitioners in Antwerp Expose the Persecution of Falun Gong

The attention of shoppers on Meir Street in Antwerp was drawn by the seemingly quiet activities of Falun Gong practitioners, who put up posters exposing the 18-year-long persecution of the practice in China, which has largely been hidden from the public there. They also gave out fliers containing information about the persecution of the ancient spiritual practice, which is centred on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

To draw the attention of passersby and promote the practice, the practitioners demonstrated the five Falun Gong exercises along with slow and relaxing music on July 9, 2017. Some practitioners gave out Falun Gong literature to help the passersby understand the teachings of the practice and the persecution.

Many spectators, after learning about the persecution, enthusiastically signed the petition demanding that the Chinese communist regime immediately stop its crimes against humanity. Passersby wanting to gain a healthy lifestyle were eager to find out where they could learn the practice.

Gisela and Kiam are a couple who work in the medical industry in Germany. They had heard about how organs from prisoners of conscience in China, especially Falun Gong practitioners, are harvested and sold for profit. When they were told about the scale of the crime, the extent of participation by military hospitals, and how quickly organs are made available for transplant, they were horrified. They signed the petition demanding that the communist regime end the persecution. They encouraged the practitioners, and told them that what they were doing was right. They said, “We wish you success.”

Two women came to the practitioners wanting to know more about the persecution after they read the information on the posters. They initially thought that organ harvesting was a random crime that happened occasionally. After being told that in China it is a state-sanctioned systemic crime, they were in shock. They said, “[Organ harvesting from living people] is a crime against everyone.”