Italy: Raising Awareness about the Persecution to Tourists at the Coliseum in Rome

The Coliseum, the great Roman amphitheatre of that was constructed in 80 B.C., is a famous tourist spot located in the centre of Rome. It is an attraction that every visitor who comes to Rome wants to see. The Chinese tourists are no exception.

Ever since July 2004, Dafa practitioners have been displaying information boards at this tourist spot at least three days a week. Many people in the world have been influenced by the lies that former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and his communist regime have spread about Falun Gong in attempts to justify to the Chinese people and hide from the outside world the campaign of genocide against the peaceful Qigong practice. The Chinese people have been deceived the most due to the fact that all newspapers, televisions and radio broadcasts in China are controlled by the Communist Party. The regime has gone to incredible lengths in its efforts to carry out Jiang’s orders to “eliminate Falun Gong,” such as the staged self-immolation on Tiananmen Square in which the government arranged several people to set themselves on fire and claim that they were Falun Gong practitioners, a claim that has been renounced by independent analysts all over the world including the United Nations International Education Development. While some of the Chinese tourists approached practitioners to take a leaflet and find out more, others were scared and kept their distance, simply staring at the banners reading, “Falun Dafa is Good” and “Righteousness will Prevail and Bring Jiang to Justice”.

One day whilst we were promoting Falun Dafa and raising awareness about the persecution, a lady asked for some extra leaflets. She introduced herself as a staff member from the Secretariat Office of the President. She came to collect more leaflets after she receiving a letter from a Falun Gong practitioner.

One time, we were unable to hang the banners and posters on the stone pillars as usual. Instead, we used three wooden poles. Since we had only three practitioners at that time, each of us had to hold a pole in one hand and distribute leaflets with the other. After realising practitioners were unable to approach them, many people who passed by came over to take the leaflets and express their appreciation. Our sincere determination to do what we should despite the difficulties moved people and we could feel the gratitude and respect in their voices. In spite of the constraints on our movements that day, the number of flyers distributed was no less than usual.