Falun Dafa in Europe: Falun Dafa has Spread all over the United Kingdom

Falun Dafa was first introduced to the public in China in 1992 and has now spread to eighty countries. Falun Dafa practitioners, both Chinese and English, are seen all around the UK, from London to Scotland. They are attracted by the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” and conduct themselves according to these principles. Whatever happens, they always consider others and try their best to become altruistic, placing others first. By doing the five sets of exercise every day, these people benefit in both body and mind. Gradually more and more people are taking up the practice.

Currently there are about forty exercise classes in twenty-eight cities all over the UK, organised by local practitioners. All these classes are free of charge and run by volunteers. People who are interested can come and go freely since there is no name list or any forms to fill in.

Falun Dafa has spread widely throughout the United Kingdom:

Visitors to the Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance Art Exhibition wanted to learn Falun Gong immediately

Falun Gong practitioners take part in the Edinburgh parade

Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises in front of City Hall. London Bridge is in the background.

In China, at least 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally sentenced and hundreds of thousands of people are detained in labour camps unlawfully. Thousands of healthy people are put into mental hospitals and tortured with intravenous drugs that destroy the central nervous system. Countless practitioners are also kidnapped and imprisoned in local “brainwashing classes”; many are not only suffering mental torture but also have been beaten and had money extorted from them.

To stop this persecution and reveal the truth to the whole world, UK Falun Gong practitioners have stood in line with practitioners all around the world, to explain the truth to the local people and government, to tell them about what Falun Gong really is and the persecution happening in China. They call for people’s attention to those practitioners who are being persecuted in China, and appeal for help to stop this persecution.

The peaceful appeal in front of the Chinese Embassy in London

Anti-torture exhibitions

In 2001, an SOS walk for the urgent rescue of Chinese Falun Gong practitioners was an important step in UK Falun Gong practitioners’ efforts to stop the persecution. From Birmingham to London (120 miles), from Edinburgh to London (450 miles) and from London to Brussels in Belgium, across three European countries (386 miles). The practitioners walked almost 1,000 miles in total. All along the way they distributed information and letters of appeal to people, media and government. Because of wide media coverage, many people got the chance to find out that how the CCP persecutes Falun Gong.

From June 5th 2002, practitioners started a twenty four hour vigil outside the Chinese Embassy in London, peacefully protesting and appealing for an end to the persecution. This has been going on for three and half years now. In all seasons, no matter how hot or cold, practitioners never stopped the appeal. Citizens in the neighbourhood have brought drinks, cars driving past would beep to show their support, numerous people have accepted the leaflets and read them carefully.

In 2005, practitioners held Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance Art Exhibitions in Edinburgh and Glasgow, London, Cambridge and Reading. All of the paintings have been created by Falun Gong practitioners. These artists depict many facets of their experiences of Falun Gong, as well as the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and how practitioners still firmly adhere to “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” in the midst of this persecution. Some painting depicted several torture methods; some showed Falun Gong practitioners abroad making banners and appealing in front of the Chinese Embassy.

Nearly every weekend or holiday, Falun Gong practitioners give up their free time and use their savings to print leaflets and travel to activities. They go to the streets, places of interest, downtown areas etc. to expose the truth to Chinese and English people alike. They tell people what Falun Gong is and what the persecution is. They also call on people to express concern for human rights and for help to end the persecution.

Falun Gong practitioners have been using anti-torture exhibitions for the last few years. They use pictures and real people to simulate how the CCP tortures Falun Gong practitioners. In this way, those inhuman torture methods used in the labour camps and brainwashing classes are exposed in front of the world’s people. In cities where the anti-torture exhibitions were held, people were shocked upon seeing such cruelty, they would then queue to sign the petition to stop the persecution.

Furthermore, the persecution is not only of Falun Gong practitioners themselves, all their families suffered from persecution too. To rescue those children who have become orphans because their parents have been persecuted to death simply for refusing to abandon their belief, Falun Gong practitioners have held many activities and performances to raise people’s attention to the plight of those children. Although there are not too many professional musicians among the UK practitioners, they worked with their hearts and in harmony by using music, dancing and short drama performance to let more people know about the persecution and those orphans’ stories.

During the past several years, Falun Gong practitioners have participated in several traditional parades with Chinese waist drumming, traditional Chinese dancing and flower decked floats. Not only the beauty of Chinese traditional culture but also a spiritual attitude has been shown to people in the UK. The Falun Gong group have won top prizes four times continuously during the annual Art Festival in Edinburgh and were also invited to participate in the New Year parade celebrations in Oxford. Music composed by practitioners and exercises demonstration is appreciated by tourists and local communities in Oxford.

The Chinese Communist Party are still spreading lies and persecuting Falun Gong practitioners brutally in mainland China. In the light of this, Falun Gong practitioners in the UK will keep exposing this persecution with all possible peaceful methods, calling for help from righteous Chinese people and international communities until it is finally stopped.