Canada: Vancouver Practitioners Hold a Candlelight Vigil to Commemorate the 6th Anniversary of the April 25 Peaceful Appeal

From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on April 25th 2005, Falun Gong practitioners in Vancouver gathered on Granville Street in front of the Chinese Consulate to hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the "April 25" Peaceful Appeal.

Several practitioners who witnessed the "April 25" Appeal shared their experiences at the activity. Ms. Li from Richmond said, "In 1999, we thought that that vicious party (the Chinese Communist Party) didn't know the truth of Falun Gong, so with a sense of responsibility for the country, for the people and for that party, we wanted to tell the government leaders about our experiences and to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. But in the end, the party decided to persecute millions of Falun Gong practitioners and the persecution has escalated continuously. Why is this peaceful group persecuted? The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party provides a systematic and comprehensive answer to this question. The Communist Party is an evil spirit against the universe and against humankind; how can it tolerate the practitioners who follow the principles of Truth Compassion and Forbearance?"

Appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate, calling for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong

Mr. Wei from Coquitlam said, "In the beginning, we practitioners had hope that the government would handle this matter properly. But on July 20 1999, former President Jiang Zemin and his followers started the brutal persecution of Falun Gong. From that point on, Falun Gong practitioners began their extremely difficult peaceful resistance. We peacefully and rationally try to protect our basic rights. The true nature of the Chinese Communist Party has already determined that the persecution will fail because it does not safeguard the Chinese people's interest; it only protects its own group's privileges.

"We hope for all people to know the truth about Falun Gong. For years, the Communist Party has channelled numerous monetary resources and manpower, and utilised both coercion and enticement to deceive many people to accept its lies. Even though many people know that Falun Gong practitioners were not as what Communist Party pictured in their propaganda, they still think that the slander and lies have a slight bit of truth. If one thinks that 'Truth-Compassion-Forbearance' is not good, or that belief in 'Truth-Compassion-Forbearance' can cause problems, one's inclination to virtue and kindness will be weakened, resulting in moral deterioration. The current social problems and crises in China have already proved this."

Ms. Zheng from Burnaby said she had stood in the street peacefully for the whole day on April 25, 1999 waiting to talk to some government officials because she trusted the government at that time. She didn't expect the appeal would be followed by a brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Many of her fellow practitioners in Beijing have been imprisoned, sent to forced labour camps and driven out of their homes.

During the Canadian practitioners' peaceful appeal, people stopped and asked questions about the activity and about the Communist Party's persecution of religions. The practitioners answered their questions. The public all expressed the wish that the communist party would crash soon and that the persecution will end soon.

A local media outlet interviewed practitioners during the activity and took video footage.

Every April 25, Vancouver Falun Gong practitioners rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver, calling for the end of the persecution and to commemorate the "April 25" Peaceful Appeal. Many practitioners began to practise Falun Gong after April 25, 1999. In Vancouver, the practitioners set up large-scale display boards near the Consulate, and they have been peacefully appealing here around the clock every day for over three years. They are sending a signal to the world: The power of compassion is the strongest; nothing can destroy a practitioner's righteous belief in Truth-Compassion-Forbearance.