United Kingdom: Introducing Falun Dafa and Revealing the Facts of the Persecution During the Glasgow Festival

On Saturday June 12th and Sunday June 13th, Falun Dafa practitioners from all over the UK took part in the Glasgow Festival. On Saturday, practitioners displayed the tranquil Falun Gong exercises, explained the benefits of the practice to an audience in a local Library. One Chinese practitioner shared her experience of how she had grown up in China during the Cultural Revolution, where people mistrusted and betrayed each other, so when she came across the principles of Falun Dafa - Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance - she immediately felt that this was the way forward for her.

The library staff and spectators were enthusiastic about Falun Gong. People asked questions about the practice, including the persecution in China. Many people were interested to know about the free classes in Glasgow. Outside the library, practitioners collected petition signatures. This was to raise awareness that the PLA (Chinese Army), which is lead by the instigator of the persecution against Falun Gong Jiang Zemin, has been invited to perform at this year's Edinburgh Military Tattoo. There was a good response, including the signature of a Scottish Member of Parliament.

On the following day, practitioners dressed in beautiful traditional Chinese costumes to perform a Fan Dance and Parasol Dance during the street festival. They also demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises. They repeated the dance and exercises continuously throughout the day, constantly drawing in new crowds of people, who were attracted by the tranquillity and beauty and came to find out more. During the exercise demonstration, a practitioner gave a commentary about Falun Gong, outlining the history of the practice and the benefits practising Falun Gong brings to mind and body. Many people showed an interest in joining the weekly Falun Gong classes and about four thousand leaflets outlining the practice and the horrors of the persecution were distributed.

In the afternoon, practitioners did the performances on stage, again attracting a good crowd and enthusiastic applause. Meanwhile, some practitioners looked after a stall where people came to find out more about Falun Gong and the persecution, and to sign the petition to voice their concerns about the invitation of the Chinese Army to the Tattoo - five hundred signatures were collected on that day! One person remarked that she had seen a news report on BBC Scotland about the Army invitation when a Chinese practitioner had spoken about the persecution in China and because of this she signed the petition at the stall. Someone else had read an interview with a Falun Gong practitioner in a scottish newspaper.

The atmosphere on that day was very harmonious and many people in Glasgow enjoyed the peaceful display by Falun Gong practitioners.