Germany: Raising Awareness about the Persecution of Falun Gong During the Regensburg Citizens’ Festival

Regensburg is an ancient city in south Germany with a history of 2,000 years. It is also the only medieval city undamaged during World War Two. The Citizen Festival is held in this city every two years and attracts thousands of tourists from all the corners of the world. The Citizens’ Festival 2007 was held on 23rd and 24th of June. Some German Falun Gong practitioners took part in the festival again and they found the difference between this year and last year was that tourists came up to seek the truth rather than waiting to be approached.

Tourists helped protect our leaflets during a rainstorm

On June 23rd, the weather was changeable. Soon after Falun Gong practitioners set up the posters and the leaflets, heavy rain started to pour down and the practitioners’ tent collapsed. Practitioners’ first thought was to protect the leaflets from the rain so they held the tent firmly. Some tourists also came up to help them although their clothes became wet in the process. Practitioners and tourists smiled at each other in the rainstorm.

I am a student from Beijing, please tell me the truth

A girl from Beijing who is an exchange student in Germany. After seeing the stall and the banner with the wording ‘Falun Gong’ and the practitioners’ exercise demonstration, she ran up and said ‘I am a student from Beijing, can you tell me anything about the self-immolation on Tiananmen Square?’ After knowing the truth, she wanted to know more and gave a practitioner her phone number and said she wanted more VCDs to bring back to China. Before she left, she asked to take a photo in front of a big lotus flower where a practitioner was demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises. After she left with satisfaction, practitioners said with emotion that ordinary people came to seek the truth, which means the day when the truth was revealed was coming closer.

Sorry, I have another question

A Chinese person from Regensburg stayed at the practitioners’ stall for long time. She observed practitioners’ actions and people’s reactions after hearing the truth. Later, she had a long talk with practitioners and asked many questions. At the beginning what she said was full of Communist Party’s culture, after practitioners’ patient explanation, she seemed to understand something and then nodded her head, but soon she shook her head and asked more questions. In this way she talked with practitioners for long time. The next day, she came to practitioners’ stall again and brought more Chinese people with her. This time she came up to practitioners and asked many questions again. Practitioners could feel that their notions infused by evil Communist Party were stricken intensively by the truth and their natural desire to seek the truth was so strong.

Can I sign my name?

During the two-day event, practitioners continuously performed exercise demonstrations - tourists were attracted and stopped to watch practitioners. They read posters carefully to know about Falun Gong and the persecution in China, especially the inside story about the Communist Party’s crime of stealing and selling practitioners’ organs. After seeing the practitioners’ appeal on posters, they quietly walked to the stall and signed their name on the petition. Soon the petitions they prepared were full and then another thirty pages were printed, which was almost full in a short period of time. Many people who had signed the petition before asked if they could sign again. Some people came back after the event finished and asked to sign the petition.

People were impressed by Falun Gong during Regensburg Citizens’ Festival. People were moved by Falun Gong’s diligence and peace.