Germany: Letting the People of Trier Know about Falun Gong and the Persecution

On May 27th, 2006, German Falun Gong practitioners held activities in the “Porta Nigra" (Big Black Gate) neighbourhood in Trier, the oldest German city. Even though the weather was not stable, tourists continued to pour into the city, which is located on Germany’s border with France and Luxemburg.

A representative from a local women’s organisation signs her name against the persecution	A young family is shocked by the brutality of the persecution

After looking at the information boards and banners, passers-by were astonished by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s trade in organs harvested from Falun Gong practitioners. Behind the exhibition platform, two practitioners were demonstrating the peaceful Falun Gong exercises. With solemn expressions on their faces, many people stopped to view the exhibition. Practitioners explained to them about the CCP's ferocious persecution of Falun Gong practitioners since July 20th, 1999.

Many people asked what Falun Gong was all about and practitioners told them Falun Gong is a cultivation practice of the Buddha School and it is beneficial to mind and body. Practitioners explained that those people who practice Falun Gong hold a belief in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance and they encourage themselves to get rid of all forms of attachments, including selfishness, jealousy and greed, so that they can return to their original, true selves.

When people were told that many Chinese people are ruthlessly persecuted simply because of practicing Falun Gong, they were shocked. A Philippino lady who lives in Paris said, “I know the persecution that Falun Gong suffers in China. I am extremely sorry about it.” A family traveling from Holland stopped at the display. While the wife listened carefully, the father squatted down and translated the information on the exhibition boards to his son. They took a flyer and left. Before long, the father came back. He tapped the shoulder of a practitioner repeatedly and in an encouraging tone, he said, “Hang in there. The whole world needs to know the truth.” He expressed heartfelt appreciation to the practitioner for all the efforts to expose the truth.

A representative from a local women’s organisation approached practitioners. In addition to expressing her concerns, she also told practitioners that she would let other members of her organisation know what was going on. She signed her name and specified the organisation on the petition to be sent to the United Nations. There were also many passers-by who walked to the information desk to sign their names without saying a word.

A father and his son are shocked by the bestial nature of the persecution

An old lady, whose hair was completely white, told a practitioner that her son needed to make frequent business trips to China. She said she would give a flyer to her son. A young couple pushed a stroller, inside which was their three month-old baby. When they asked practitioners questions about the banner and the information boards, several passers-by also listened to the conversation. They all signed their names to support the petition to support an end to the persecution.

A young lady came to the information desk directly, took a flyer and left. She returned after a while. She told practitioners that she provided tour guide services to China’s Ambassador to Germany and had close contact with some Chinese officials. As she was guiding a tourist group, she couldn’t spend too much time at the spot. However, she would try to understand more of the truth via the Internet and provide help to Falun Gong as far as possible.