Russia: Falun Gong Practitioners Introduce Falun Gong During the City Festival in St. Petersburg

May 27th, 2006, was St. Petersburg’s 303rd anniversary. Although the weather was cold, people in this old city, known as North Venice, were still excited. They held all kinds of celebrating activities on the streets and squares in the city.

People inquired about the facts of Falun Gong	A demonstration of the graceful Falun Gong exercises

Falun Gong practitioners participated in the celebration activities on a square in the city centre after applying to the city government. The practitioners played music, recited poems, demonstrated the five sets of exercises, and brought the goodness of Falun Dafa to people there. They display information detailing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) brutally persecutes Falun Gong practitioners. The pictures revealed to the people the cruel persecution that Falun Gong practitioners in China went through during the past seven years. Many people stood in front of the display boards for a long time to listen to practitioners telling the facts. They showed their sympathy and support to the victims.

Many people, especially young people and children, surrounded the small table on which practitioners folded paper lotus flowers. Practitioners folded lotus flowers as they explained how innocent Falun Gong practitioners in China were persecuted. Thus, people learnt the deep meaning behind the little lotus flowers. A little girl sat at the table, watching her mother make a lotus flower for her. She would not leave until her mother signed the petition book to support the campaign to end the persecution of Falun Gong.

An old woman watched the demonstration of the exercises carefully. She said, “I like them very much. I will definitely practice the exercises at your exercise site.”

A group of young people rode bicycles there. When they arrived, they were laughing and joking. However, after listening to practitioners talking about the facts of the persecution in China, they became quiet and solemn. They seriously signed their names in the petition book of the anti-persecution campaign.

There are always policemen on duty when Falun Gong practitioners hold activities, so there are always some policemen having the opportunity to hear the facts about Falun Gong. The policemen who know about the facts always change a lot. Here are some stories.

When a practitioner introduced Falun Gong to a deputy chief of a police station and told him about the persecution happening in China, the practitioner also told him a story. During the New Year, practitioners introduced Falun Dafa to a leading police officer who in charge of prisons. They gave him Dafa books. Then, he gave the books to some prisoners in the jail. After reading the Dafa book, a murderer wrote, “I was so shocked after reading the book. If I read the book before, I would definitely not have committed any crimes.” The deputy chief was delighted to hear the story and received the Dafa book the practitioner gave him. He said gladly, “It was a good thing.” He told the practitioner that he wanted to provide an exercise site free of charge. He also invited Falun Dafa practitioners to introduce Dafa in his police station. He said, “There will be more people interested in Dafa there.”

After hearing the facts, a policeman who lives in Urfa asked the practitioner whether there were Falun Gong practitioners in Urfa. The practitioner said yes. He immediately asked the practitioner to call practitioners in Urfa to tell the facts and introduce Falun Dafa on the streets, because he really hoped that people in his hometown could know Falun Dafa is good. Policemen placed decorated paper lotus flowers on their cars and brought them everywhere they went in the city.

More and more people pay attention to the persecution happening in China. People sign to support. More and more people know Falun Dafa brings goodness to people.