Germany: Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day

On May 13th, 2007, Falun Gong practitioners from different European countries gathered on Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. They wanted to display the beauty of Falun Dafa and celebrate World Falun Dafa Day. They marked the 15th anniversary of the introduction of Falun Dafa with a marching band performance, Chinese dances, and the demonstration of Falun Gong exercises. At 12:30 p.m., the Falun Gong practitioners' parade started from Pariser Platz, passing along Linden street, proceeding to Humboldt University, and then returning to Pariser Platz. Many people along the way watched the parade and praised the Falun Gong practitioners' efforts to expose the persecution.

Joyfully celebrating World Falun Dafa Day

The "European Divine Land Marching Band", consisting of 80 members

The Divine Land Marching Band led the parade	Passers-by take photos	Over half of the practitioners participating in the parade were Europeans

Behind the Divine Land Marching Band was the float on which the demonstration of Falun Gong exercises was performed, followed by the "celestial maidens" group, dancing with lotus flowers. A big banner reading "Falun Dafa" followed them, and finally it was the waist drum team and the group supporting withdrawals from the CCP.

Some tourists who have never heard about Falun Gong were eagerly asking practitioners who were distributing leaflets about the event. More people indicated that they had known about the situation of Falun Gong being persecuted by the CCP and expressed their support for Falun Gong and their condemnation of the CCP's persecution.

A lady from Sweden told us, "I feel that the things happening in China are terrible. If the 2008 Olympic Games is hosted in China, it will be a chance for the autocratic government to paint a false picture, just like the Hitler government did. It is very good to expose the persecution, I had heard from Swedish media about the persecution of Falun Gong and the matter of the CCP's organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. It is extremely shameful that the doctors in China have done such things for making money, rather than saving people's lives."

Three tourists from Dusseldorf had a chat with Mr. Ye, a Falun Gong practitioner from Berlin. Mr. Ye told our reporter, "They said that they knew some things about Falun Gong from TV. They felt that China is at the forefront in things such as human sciences, spiritual cultivation, and Chinese medicine. But they said it was inconceivable that there is a government in the world who persecutes and suppresses these good things. I informed them that the German parliament has passed a resolution to condemn the labor camp system in China, and they applauded that decision. In the beginning, they were jolted by the exposure of the persecution after the first half of the parade, which was quite festive and joyous, but after our discussion, they understood its importance."

Mr. Tony Jackson, an American based in Berlin, told, "The parade is wonderful. You should do more of this kind of activities. People need to open their eyes to watch and open up their ears to listen. They need to know what is happening in China, and people should help each other and do something for China."

Four tourists from Israel said that they saw firsthand the CCP's propaganda against Falun Gong when they were traveling in China. They were quite upset after talking with us about the persecution. After seeing the parade, they expressed their support for us.