France: Dafa Practitioners Hold a Candlelight Vigil to Commemorate Practitioners who Lost their Lives

On the evening of July the 23rd 2004, French Dafa practitioners held a candlelight vigil in the Human Rights Square opposite the Eiffel Tower to commemorate those who have been tortured to death in China for practising Falun Gong, and to call upon kind-hearted people all over the world to come together to stop this persecution. This was part of worldwide activity by Falun Gong practitioners and all people who support Falun Gong and oppose the persecution with the theme “Light up the darkness - Commemorate those with uncompromising beliefs and indestructible consciences”.

Candles ewre placed around photos of the practitioners who were persecuted to death by the Jiang regime. They used posters and speeches to introduce the beauty of Falun Dafa and expose the Jiang regime's brutal persecution to the large number of tourists. Practitioners invited people to express their support for Falun Gong and denounce the persecution by lighting the candles. Many tourists responded to the invitation and joined the “light a candle” activity.

A Roman Catholic lit a candle after a long discussion with practitioners about belief in God, the influence of faith on human kind, Falun Gong and the persecution, the difference between this persecution and others, the relationship between the Communist Party’s godless propaganda and its evil character and the value of traditional Chinese culture. Before biding farewell, he said to practitioners, “The Communist Party that does not believe in God will definitely collapse, and the time will not be long.”

A gentleman from India immediately expressed his desire to learn Falun Gong. A young lady was very shocked after hearing that such a brutal persecution is occurring in today’s China. She apologised to practitioners for not knowing about the persecution earlier. Practitioners were very moved by her kindness and felt great responsibility for exposing the evil to the governments and media in the free society and maintaining justice.

Two gentlemen came to ask practitioners the meaning of this evening’s activity. Practitioners briefly told them about the spread of Falun Gong around the world and the persecution by the Jiang regime. The two gentlemen were quite astonished and surprised that they had not heard about this before. Practitioners told them that during five years of brutal persecution, aside from using violence and lies, the Jiang regime has used economic interest to force democratic countries to compromise their principles. Unfortunately, some people in the French Government bowed to the Jiang regime’s pressure and abused the human rights ofFalun Gong practitioners. The two gentlemen expressed their sincere sorrow and went to the stand to ask for more information about Falun Gong. During the whole activity, practitioners felt our field was pure, righteous and strong. Many people learned the truth.