Denmark: Public Support for Falun Dafa During Events to Commemorate the April 25 Appeal

On April 20, 2024, Falun Dafa practitioners from Denmark and Sweden gathered at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, and held activities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 peaceful appeal. On April 25, they gathered at the Chinese Embassy to protest the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 25-year persecution of Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong). 

Practitioners set up banners and display boards and reenacted the CCP’s tortures used on Dafa practitioners over the course of the persecution. Other practitioners demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises. The stark contrast drew the attention of many passers-by who learned about the persecution and the practice of Falun Dafa. 

A woman saw the reenactment of the CCP’s torture and wanted to know more. After listening to a practitioner’s explanation of the CCP’s brutality, she immediately signed a petition calling for an end to the brutalities. 

When she learned about the background of the April 25 appeal, she said that citizens in Western countries have institutions to express their personal wishes to the government. “Practitioners’ peaceful petition on April 25 is an act of expressing personal wishes, which is what citizens should do and is their basic human right,” she said.

It was hard for her to believe that the persecution is still happening, and that it has gone on for 25 years, which she said was heartbreaking. She added, “In a country where people are persecuted for their beliefs, the Communist Party is so inhumane! I hope your peaceful protest will draw more attention in Denmark and Western society.”

People Support Falun Dafa

Two young women passed by the event and were immediately drawn by the exercises and banners. They stopped to watch, and said it was cruel and unbelievable that practitioners are persecuted and tortured in China.

They asked what they could do to help. A practitioner told them that in addition to telling their relatives and friends about Falun Dafa and the persecution, they could also sign the petition. Both were happy to do so. 

Several young people listened attentively and said the persecution was unimaginable. They asked in detail about the CCP’s live organ harvesting and the persecution. The practitioner told them that Denmark and China have medical cooperation between their countries. They were stunned by the live organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience in China (the majority of which are Falun Dafa practitioners) and signed the petition.

When a woman learned about the persecution she was moved to tears and remarked that this was a systematic destruction of civilization and was very evil. Before she left, she hugged the practitioner and said, “You must continue to tell people about this and stop the evil.”

People Admire Practitioners’ Perseverance

A Chinese man stood in front of a banner for a long time when a practitioner handed him a flier. He said, “Thank you very much. Thank you, Falun Gong, for exposing the evil nature of the CCP around the world.”

He said he lived in the U.S., and was in Denmark on business. He shared that when he was studying at Tsinghua University [in China], his mentor who was highly respected by students was persecuted by the CCP for practicing Falun Gong. “I remember it started on April 25, 1999. Later, my mentor’s family had to leave China and go into exile overseas.”

The man said he was expelled from the Party for making remarks in his circle of friends about the need to reform the CCP. He said he could not survive in China with free thoughts, so he had to flee his beloved motherland.

The man said he felt a little pessimistic and helpless, but after coming to the free world and seeing that more than 400 million Chinese have withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations, he regained hope. “I have seen Falun Gong practitioners in many places in the United States and Europe exposing the CCP’s crime of forced organ harvesting,” he said. “The CCP must be punished by the divine for committing such evil acts against humanity.”

He added, “I admire Falun Gong practitioners for their persistence in their faith over the years. In today’s turbulent environment, [Falun Gong’s principles of] Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance guides more people to improve their morality and be good people, which will definitely have a positive impact on society.”

A Vietnamese man who was in Europe on business stopped at the booth and said, “In Vietnam, many people practice Falun Gong, and so do I, my friends and colleagues. We often talk about the practice. Following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance has had a great impact on my work and life.”