Canada: Taking Part in the "Celebration of China" Festival in Quebec

On the 4th and 5th of September, 2004, practitioners in Montreal participated in the "Celebration of China" festival in Quebec. This is the third occasion where Falun Gong practitioners have participated in the event.

The waist drum team performed before an opening ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by special invited guests. A Falun Gong practitioner introduced the waist drum team, Falun Gong and the persecution of Falun Gong in China to the audience. The dance group and waist drum team performed three programs in an indoor show.

Waist drum performance	Exercise demonstration	Visitors enquire about Falun Gong and learn to fold paper lotus flowers

After the performance, the organiser of the festival talked about the persecution of Falun Gong to the audience and asked people to sign a letter of appeal calling for an end to the persecution.

During the two-day festival, many people signed to support the lawsuit against former President Jiang Zemin's involvement in the persecution of Falun Gong. For some this was the first time they had heard about Falun Gong whilst others asked many questions about the persecution. A man from Senegal said that when the persecution of Falun Gong started in China, there were large newspaper headlines every day for about a month. He was pleased to have the chance to learn about Falun Gong at the festival. Many people read the anti-torture posters and expressed their indignation towards the brutal persecution. Some festival visitors were interested in learning the Falun Gong exercises.