Finland: Calling for an End to Persecution Against Falun Gong on July 20th

On July 20th, Finnish Falun Gong practitioners started their peaceful protest at the Chinese Embassy, calling for an end to the six years of brutal persecution against people who live by the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”.

On July 20th six years ago, Jiang Zemin, the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), launched a campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, vowing that the CCP would destroy Falun Gong in three months. So far, the number of practitioners who have lost their lives is over 2,600. These are only the deaths for which there is documented evidence and the actual number is known to be several times larger.

Among the practitioners sitting at the Embassy, some had spent time in Mainland China’s detention centres for appealing for Falun Gong practitioners’ human rights. Afterwards, their families in China were threatened, molested and put under surveillance.

Sending righteous thoughts and demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises

In the face of violence and lies, Falun Gong practitioners have always followed the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”. After six years of activities to peacefully resist the Chinese Communist Party’s systematic efforts to destroy Falun Gong, sympathy and respect for practitioners in China has become well-known to people all over the world. Falun Gong practitioners have replaced lies with truth, awakened people’s conscience with compassion and melted wickedness with tolerance. History will remember each and every one of the heroic deeds and the crimes against humanity. Both good and evil will receive its retribution and the wicked people will certainly be punished sooner or later.

Almost everybody accepted the leaflets that practitioners handed out. A passer by asked what we were doing and looked confused. After a practitioner’s explanation, he pressed his hands together and bowed in a friendly manner.

Handing a leaflet to a young Finnish girl, a practitioner asked her, “Are you going to China?” She answered “Yes. I’m going there to study.” The practitioner asked her to read the leaflet before leaving because she will only hear lies in China. She promised to do so and said, “Thank you.”

There was one particular difference from the norm that surprised the practitioners that day. Formerly when officials from the Chinese Embassy had passed by, the practitioners always smiled and greeted them then handed them leaflets. But they usually ignored the practitioners or said that they were not allowed to take the leaflets. However, some of them took the leaflets this time or declined with a smile. Some even greeted the practitioners first. It seems that defecting official I Australia Chen Yonglin’s great act for public good has set an example for them. Practitioners hope they can choose a better future as well.