Finland: Excerpts from Newspaper Reports on Practitioner’s Summer Tour

Falun Dafa practitioners launched a tour of eastern Finland in July to demonstrate Falun Gong and to tell people about the brutal persecution that practitioners in China have suffered over the last four years. In every city, local journalists came to report on the activities. Also, radio reporters interviewed practitioners in several cities. The following are excerpts from articles in Finland’s biggest newspapers, which helped spread news about the persecution to more Finnish people.

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"Falun Gong reminded people in the city of Mikkeli about human rights"

Newspaper: Länsi-Savo
By Marika Lehkonen
July 12

Mrs. Suontakanen found Falun Gong, a practice that cultivates mind and body, three years ago in an expo of Spirituality and Knowledge. The principles of Falun Gong - Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance - are the guiding principles in her daily life. Mrs Suontakanen feels that the rumours that the Chinese government is spreading about Falun Gong are completely false. Contrary to what they are claiming, Falun Gong is non-political. Defending the human rights of Falun Gong practitioners is what’s lead to Falun Gong being connected with politics. “The issue is not only defending the rights of the practitioners of Falun Gong. Fighting for human rights for the other persecuted groups is very important,” Mrs. Suontakanen stresses.

Falun Gong exercises were demonstrated by two Chinese women and some Finnish ladies. The exercise classes are free and practitioners do not accept donations. Anyone can participate in a class and practise without announcing oneself before hand.

Wang Jie’s life became easier after she moved to Finland about a year ago. In China, she couldn’t practise the exercises in the park or speak about Falun Gong with anyone other than her close friends. Not only do the newspapers in China tell lies about Falun Gong, but so do the schoolteachers. When in China, Wang Jie continued to believe that the practice was good [even though the propaganda stated otherwise]. She awakened to the evilness of her government’s leadership after she arrived in Finland. “I didn’t know about the punishment of the practitioners until I came to Finland and started to look at the western media.”

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"Truth, Compassion, Tolerance – Falun Gong Practitioners held Activities in a Marketplace of Lahti City"

Newspaper: Etelä-Suomen Sanomat
By Tuomas Massinen
July 13

Practitioners of Falun Gong have been touring the cities of eastern Finland this week. The City of Lahti was the main centre of their activities. According to practitioners, the reactions have been very positive everywhere they’ve been. People are happy and encouraging; the situation has changed a lot over the past year. Now many people stop to talk and ask questions, which the practitioners answer with true compassion.

751 Falun Gong practitioners have been killed in China since 1999. The government of China banned Falun Gong, when investigations showed that over 70 million people were practising it. Practitioners are happy that the high ranking politicians in Finland have made positive statements about the human rights situation of Falun Gong in China.