United Kingdom: Exposing the Persecution on the Streets of Leeds

“Great, Brilliant – thanks” are the words a gentleman in Leeds left me with having signed the petition and taken some information detailing what Falun Gong is and how the illegal persecution began.

Practising the exercises by the display board	Passers-by read information about the Chinese Communist Party	Practising the fifth Falun Gong exercise

It seems that as time goes by more and more people in Leeds are coming to learn about Falun Gong and are stepping forward to show their support or to gain a deeper understanding on why the Chinese Communist Party insists on illegally and ruthlessly persecuting Falun Gong. Some people passed by saying “Oh, I have signed that before” or “I saw you in Huddersfield (a nearby city) the other week” showing that our efforts to let people know the truth have not been in vain. With more and more people learning the facts, Falun Gong practitioners living in the North of England decided to hold an activity on Central Square in Leeds on the 4th of November – one of the busiest areas in Leeds city centre.

Showing their support by signing the petition	Passers-by are interested in the activity	A practitioner explains the facts to a pedestrian

Many passers-by stood in shock at the images on the display board depicting various torture methods used on Falun Gong practitioners in China such as having shards of bamboo rammed under the finger nails and being locked in a cage which in turn is submerged in filthy cold water. Having read the details they would naturally take the initiative to sign one of the petitions to stop the persecution which will eventually be sent to the UK government to urge the Chinese Communist Party to stop their illegal acts and their massive infringement on human rights. Others were attracted by the scene of the Falun Gong exercises, wondering what they were, how long they lasted and where they too could learn them.

The busy Saturday provided a lot of passers-by and so by the end of the day almost all of our materials had been handed out to the public and we were left with sheets filled with signatures asking for a stop to the persecution.