Sweden: Raising Awareness about Falun Gong in Stockholm

On July 26th, 2008, the words “Falun Gong”, written in Chinese and English on a yellow banner, appeared especially dazzling under the intense summer sunlight in Mynttorget Square near the Royal Palace in Stockholm. When people from the tour buses or tourists passing by saw the banner, they couldn’t help saying out loud “Falun Gong”.

Falun Gong practitioners in Sweden organised this activity to introduce Falun Gong to people from around the world and to expose the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist regime during its persecution of Falun Gong. The extremely hot summer weather didn’t prevent Swedish people from learning about the nine years of brutal suppression endured by Falun Gong in China.

There were always many people reading the display boards. Some people took photos, some were reading and some discussed the issues with practitioners. There were also people who wanted to learn the exercises there and then. After learning the truth, people lined up to sign a petition to express their condemnation of the evil Chinese Communist Party and their support for the innocent.

A young couple from Turkey queued to sign the petition despite their tight travelling schedule in Sweden. The young lady said with smile to a Falun Gong practitioner, “It looks like I must start to practise Falun Gong. I meet Falun Gong no matter which nation I visited. It must really be an unusual method. When I go back, I will find a nearby Falun Gong exercise site as soon as possible. Thank you!”

Falun Gong practitioner Mr Liu, who is studying for a Master degree, had a long talk with a young man from Mainland China with similar age. This young man was disgusted with the Chinese Communist regime’s corruption. He was especially resentful with the regime’s blockade of the Internet and total control of the media. He said, “The Chinese Communist Party’s ‘what I say goes’ propaganda is brain-washing of the Chinese people. The Chinese Communist Party still continues to distort history and revise the text books. The Chinese people are made very confused. I benefited a lot through this journey abroad. It is truly different abroad. I saw and heard a lot and expanded my thinking. When I go back, I will think things through very carefully.”

There were two ladies from China’s Sichuan province who came to talk to practitioners. They already knew the truth about Chinese Communist regime’s persecution of Falun Gong. One lady said, “When I visited South Korea as a tourist, I watched the video exposing the Tiananmen self-immolation incident concocted by the Chinese Communist regime. You practitioners could see this as false immediately while we were deceived easily by them. Think about the environment in China. Falun Gong practitioners are not allowed to speak out. Therefore the Chinese Communist Party could frame Falun Gong to deceive ordinary people. There are Falun Gong practitioners in my work place. They have been treated very badly.” The two ladies left happily after accepting the whole package of information about Falun Gong.

There was also an elderly couple from China’s Northeast region. They just came to Sweden to see their son who is studying here. When practitioners told them about the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist regime against Falun Gong practitioners, they nodded continuously: “We fully believe the Chinese Communist Party is capable of doing these things. Falun Gong practitioners in the Northeast region have suffered greatly at their hands. They only want to have their belief. The regime should not have done this. Actually people know that there are still many people practising Falun Gong in China.”

There was a tourist group from Mainland China who stood beside the Royal Palace and looked here in distance and took photos. Later some of them came to the site to read the display boards and accepted the materials about Falun gong as well as the "Nine commentaries on the Communist Party", an editorial published by The Epoch Times newspaper. One gentleman said to a practitioner, “I really admire you. You can hold this kind of activity here. Truly remarkable! Overseas is overseas! In China there is no place to go if one is treated badly by the Chinese Communist Party. Democratic nations are definitely better!”

A young man from Taiwan seemed to know Falun Gong very well. When passing through here, he extended his thumb and said loudly, “Falun Gong is great! Carry on!” He said to practitioners, “It would be really nice if one day the Mainland China would be like Taiwan. That would truly benefit the ordinary people. These officials are really afraid of losing their special privileges. They do not care for ordinary people. You help Chinese people to see through the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party, it is really remarkable.”

Time passed very quickly. When the five hours activity ended, people who wanted to learn the truth about Falun Gong from display boards were still unwilling to leave. Although each Falun Gong practitioner’s face became reddish after a day’s activity under the summer sun, they were all so pleased that many more people learned the truth about Falun Gong!