France: Promoting Falun Gong on Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris

Place Denfert-Rochereau, located in the 14th district of Southern Paris, is famous for its large lion sculpture expressing France’s courage and determination. It is also a busy traffic inter-section leading to the Orly Airport. On August the 27th 2005, French Falun Gong practitioners came here as part of a nationwide tour to promote Falun Gong.

Practitioners distributed leaflets revealing the facts about Falun Gong, demonstrated Falun Gong exercises, explained to people about the ongoing brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China and collected signatures calling for the immediate end to the persecution and that the responsible persons be brought to justice. Although there were not many practitioners at the activity, everything went on smoothly and effectively. Many passers-by expressed their condemnation of the persecution and their sincere support for Falun Gong practitioners. People from different regions of France Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Creteil, Angers, Boulogne and Antony signed the petition condemning the persecution. Foreign tourists from Britain, Belgium and India also signed the petition after getting information in their own language.

The banner calling for a stop to the persecution of Falun Gong in China attracted attention. Some people, after learning the facts of the persecution, said angrily: “I know there are many people in Paris who practice Falun Gong. I consider it a very good cultivation way. Everyone should rise up to stop this persecution.” Others were surprised: “I couldn’t believe that in our time, there are still such terrible things happening. It is unpardonable!” There was one person who planned to visit China. When he learned of the atrocities being committed in China against Falun Gong practitioners, he decided not to go to China. He wanted to display “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong in China” prints on his car during his European tour so that it can seen by everyone.

With the persistent efforts by practitioners to reveal the truth, more and more people started to raise their concern about this persecution and called for the immediate end to this brutal violation of human rights. The evil is completely losing its foothold. What waits for them is the final judgement of the law.