Germany: Candlelight Vigil held in Hamburg to Mark Decade of Persecution

On the evening of July 20 2009, Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front the Chinese Consulate in Hamburg, the largest port city in Germany, to protest the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which has lasted ten years.

In front of the Consulate, practitioners held up banners with words such as "Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong", "Bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yonggang to Justice" and large colour pictures exposing the fact that the CCP removes organs from living Falun Gong practitioners for sale. The photos allowed those who were coming out of and going into the Chinese Consulate and passers-by to directly see and understand the what the protests were about.

Ms. Zhu began practising Falun Dafa before the persecution started in 1999. She tried to improve her character by studying the Fa and doing the exercises, and require herself to do everything well according to a practitioner's moral requirements. After the persecution started, she saw that people around her were deceived by the lies told by the CCP, so she thought that she should explain the facts and share her real experiences to those who had been deceived.

Nina is also a practitioner from Hamburg and she has the same feeling. She had been looking for many years to find great teachings which can lead people to return their true selves. The book main book of Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun, made her dream come true. She has now understood through over ten years of practice that cultivation is not only about what an individual can get for oneself, but one should think of others. Even if one is doing something good, one should also consider others' feelings and try to balance everything well.

The candlelight vigil ended at 10:30 p.m.

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practise, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Its beneficial effects in uplifting an individual's physical health, spiritual well-being and moral character, not to mention its positive influence in the community and society as a whole, have been undeniable. In fact, Falun Gong is practised by over 100 million people in 110 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.

On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Since the start of the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners throughout the world have been constantly speaking out about the truth of Falun Gong and exposing the CCP's crimes in a tireless effort to end the persecution.