This year, Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in the Independence Day Parade in New York's Chinatown on July 3, 2005, and were warmly received by the community.
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Prior to American Independence Day, community groups in New York City's Chinatown traditionally hold a parade to celebrate the holiday. They want to express their support to the American people for their persistent efforts in promoting freedom and democracy, and also show that the Chinese people also love freedom and democracy. However, the parade's good spirit was distorted in the past several years due to the interference from the Chinese Consulate.
The Chinese Communist Party not only carries out autocratic, high-pressure mind control over the Chinese people in China, it also extends its influence abroad, using its consulates to buy off and entice the Chinese communities, and instigate them to continue oppressing their fellow citizens overseas by following the CCP's orders.
Since July 20, 1999, when the CCP started the suppression of Falun Gong, the Chinese Consulate in New York City has been active in Chinatown to compel the Chinese community members to oppose and be hostile to Falun Gong, to exclude Falun Gong's participation in community activities such as parades.
Over the past six years, Falun Gong practitioners have been holding a series of activities in Chinatown to clarify the truth, including outdoor exercises and truth clarification on the streets, frequent large scale weekend truth clarification rallies, and a weekend film show. The Chinese people all know that Falun Gong is remarkable.
In addition, Falun Gong practitioners have held many large-scale parades of over a thousand people with rich content, dancing and singing. The Chinese community has come to admire Falun Gong.
With the practitioners' truth clarification efforts being constantly extended, Falun Gong has begun melting into the life of the Chinese community. As a practitioner said while chatting with the community members: making friends with Falun Gong practitioners, you can feel assured and don't need to worry. Falun Gong teaches "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," and they do not deceive people. Falun Gong practitioners are considerate of others, they do not contend or compete for things.
At the beginning of the year, Falun Gong participated for the first time in Chinatown's Chinese New Year Parade. At last year's Independence Day, Falun Gong practitioners encountered much difficulty but finally were able to participate in the parade.
Falun Gong was invited to participate in this year's parade and the Falun Gong practitioners' contingent was, as usual, large and grand with rich performances that were graceful and elegant.
A large blue transparent banner with the words, "Falun Dafa is Good" could be seen in the Falun Gong contingent from a distance. There were also lion dancers, a flag group, a celestial maidens group, an exercise demonstration group, and a troupe of waist-drummers. The Falun Gong contingent was like a long dragon coming from afar.
The contingent was led by a huge banner reading "Falun Gong" in red characters with golden background. Lion dancers added to the fun of the parade. The lovely lion dance was followed by a large purple velvet banner reading "Falun Dafa" in both Chinese and English. Behind the banner was the martial flags group. Next was a large exercise demonstration group led by young practitioners. A young practitioner in the second row is just over four years old. Young as he is, he is a veteran practitioner. The banner reading, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" looked graceful, and seven celestial maidens danced elegantly. There were also a lotus flower dance and fan dance. The dancing was lively and graceful, displaying the elegance of the traditional Chinese culture.
The banners reading, "Falun Dafa is Good" were displayed at interludes in the contingent. The song "Falun Dafa is Good" echoed in the streets, warm and appealing. At the end of the contingent came the vigorous waist drummers group led by a big plaque with the words, "Falun Gong" in red characters on a golden background, looking extraordinarily grand.
A Chinese man gave his camera to a westerner near him and asked him to take a photo of him, and especially emphasized to use Falun Gong as the background.
A young man shouted loudly, "Falun Gong, Falun Gong."
A little girl saw the celestial maidens' performance, and clapped her hands excitedly, "Wonderful, Beautiful."
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