Germany: Falun Gong Information Day in Dortmund

Dafa practitioners from Dortmund in Germany have held different forms of Falun Gong activities during the past five years that the practice has been persecuted. Every Saturday sees practitioners in downtown Dortmund talking to people about Falun Gong and telling them that over 1,000 people have lost their lives because they refused to renounce their belief in living by Falun Gong’s principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. The last Saturday of October was market day and local Dafa practitioners took this opportunity to hold a Falun Gong Information Day. Some Dafa practitioners from other cities also came to support this activity.

Due to Christmas market stalls, the practitioners’ usual spot for handing out leaflets was taken but they moved on to find a vacant spot. After setting up a poster board, some practitioners started to demonstrate the five sets of Falun Gong exercises. The attention of people passing by was caught by the peaceful and graceful exercises. Other practitioners handed out leaflets and talked to people who had any questions.

The poster boards detailed Dafa’s spreading to over 60 countries around the world. Many people who read them wanted to learn the exercises and find out the details of their nearest practice site where the exercises are taught for free. People who heard that practising these graceful exercises in China can result in arrest, beatings, torture and even death ,signed their names on a petition calling for an end to the persecution.

In order to be more effective in raising awareness about the persecution and to reach different types of people, practitioners from Dortmund used different methods. One of these methods was folding lots of paper lotus flowers with special shapes and bright colours which can easily arouse people’s interest. Not only did women and children like them, but men liked them too. Two practitioners sang several Dafa songs which matched the peaceful and beautiful nature of Falun Dafa cultivation practice.

A western woman immediately understood the truth and was supportive after seeing our poster boards and chatting with practitioners. She said she is a volunteer worker for “The Protection of Women and Child Association”. She gave us her association’s programme and said that we should make contact with her. Also she invited us to attend their activities, where we would get lots of support and interest if we perform the exercises, distributing leaflets and collecting petition signatures. Dortmund University Newspaper also offered us a free of charge opportunity to publish information about our Falun Dafa activities.