Germany: Falun Dafa Information Day in Hannover

German Falun Dafa practitioners held an information day on June 27, 2009 in Hannover. They introduced Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, and its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance to the public. They also exposed the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China.

Poster boards were displayed in a very busy area in front of the Hannover train station. Many people took informational flyers even as the practitioners were setting up their display. When people read about the persecution of Falun Gong, many of them signed the petition calling for an end to the human rights abuses. Some of them were very interested in learning more about Falun Gong and the persecution in China, and they engaged in conversation with the local practitioners. Often, people formed lines to sign the petition.

Passengers at the train station read the poster boards

People sign the petition calling for an end to the persecution

A young man who once lived in the former East Germany came over to the practitioners' booth and read through all the poster boards and the flyer. When he learned about the persecution, especially the organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit, he became very emotional and shook as he said, "I know how evil the communist party can be, but I cannot imagine how the party can commit the atrocity of live organ harvesting from human beings. This is too evil to believe. I would fly to China to give these unbelievable people a lesson if I could."

A gentleman told a local practitioner that he had practised Karate many years. His principle was that he would retaliate if he ever was bullied. Therefore, he could not understand why Falun Dafa practitioners should not retaliate against the communist party. This practitioner explained to him that Falun Gong follows the principle of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. Falun Dafa practitioners are not supposed to fight back when beaten, nor shout back when insulted. Falun Dafa practitioners are peaceful and the power of compassion is unlimited. At the end of the conversation, this gentleman gained a better understanding of Dafa.

In the afternoon, a couple, a German husband and his Chinese wife, passed by the practitioners' booth. The husband read the information boards while his wife tried to drag him away. But this man was still very interested in reading the materials. One of the practitioners told them that China is a beautiful country and the Chinese Communist Party cannot represent the country as a nation. He encouraged the couple to learn more about the truth and to develop their own viewpoint so that they would not be deceived by the communist party. After listening to the practitioner, the Chinese woman was happy to let her husband take the flyer and the DVDs.

A young teacher asked about the persecution in great detail. She invited local practitioners to come to her school to hold a seminar on the human rights situation in China and the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners.

Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises beside the informational boards. An elderly Chinese lady practised the exercises together with a western practitioner. When the exercises finished, she said with excitement that she and her husband were practitioners from China. They were visiting their family in Germany. When they heard there would be a Falun Dafa Information Day, they came out and were very pleased to meet the local practitioners. They joined the practitioners in handing out flyers. They also promised that they would attend the local group exercise and Fa study.