United Kingdom: Rally Held on Parliament Square to Commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Persecution

On July 20 2009, UK Falun Gong practitioners rallied in the square adjacent to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben to mark the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong. Their activities attracted the attention of UK politicians and the general public.

Demonstrating the exercises

Candlelight vigil

Signing to support Falun Gong

Learning the exercises

On this special day, the activities organized by Falun Gong practitioners lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 11:10 p.m. With Big Ben's melodious chimes in the background, people in the square were moved by practitioners' explanations about the truth of the persecution and the fact that only with the disintegration of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will the persecution stop.

Many people passing through the square crossed over to see the truth-clarification exhibition and take pictures. The banners on display read, "Falun Dafa Is Good," "The World Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," "The Persecution of Falun Gong Is Continuing," "The Persecution of Falun Gong Must Be Stopped," "10 years of Torture and Killing of Falun Gong Must Be Stopped," "Please Help Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong" and "Only with the Disintegration of the CCP Will the Persecution Stop."

While some practitioners in golden uniforms demonstrated the peaceful Falun Gong exercises, others reenacted the cruel torture perpetrated by the Chinese regime against Chinese practitioners who believe in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.Photos of many of the 3200 Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted to death, along with the truth-clarification information on display, caught the attention of passersby. Many of them made a point to cross the street to see the displays and get information. Practitioners distributed truth-clarification flyers and solicited signatures for a petition protesting the persecution.

Because the Parliament Square is a popular tourist attraction in the London area, there are many people there throughout the day. From strolling tourists to formally-dressed politicians from around the world, they expressed their support for Falun Gong and their opposition to the persecution. Some of them even asked practitioners to teach them the Falun Gong exercises on the spot.

At noon, a press conference was held in Parliament Square. After Falun Gong practitioner Annie Yang told about her personal experience of being persecuted by the Chinese regime, Mr. Gerard Batten, Member of the European Parliament; Mr. Tom Brake and David Burrowes, UK Members of Parliament; Dr. Xu Yi and Mr. Shao Jiang, representatives of non-governmental organizations and Chinese pro-democracy advocates in the UK, and Dr. Li Guihua, representative of the Global CCP-quitting Alliance, also gave remarks.

Other members of the European Parliament also sent letters to support the event. They unanimously expressed their understanding, support, and appreciation for Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful petition as well as their condemnation of the Chinese regime's atrocity of persecuting Falun Gong and abusing human rights.

Mr. Gerard Batten, Member of the European Parliament:"The Chinese Communist regime is the most atrocious tyranny in history, and it will not last long."

Because one of his constituents is a Falun Gong practitioner, Mr. Gerard Batten, Member of the European Parliament, has known about the persecution of Falun Gong since 2004, and he has read the Epoch Times' editorial series the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.

At the rally, he said, "Why are the Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China? The answer is very simple, it's because of what they stand for. Their three core values are Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. These are the exact opposite of what the Chinese Communist Party stands for, which of course are lies, brutality, and intolerance."

"People are standing up against it and the more that speak out, by example, the more people will follow until you have in China what we've seen across other Communist states when so many people stand up and are opposed to it - that eventually it crumbles and will fall apart. That's what we will see in China."

Mr. David Burrowes, UK Member of Parliament: "The persecution should not exist for another single day."

Mr. David Burrowes, UK Member of Parliament, came to the rally as well. When interviewed, he said, "I come here today to express my support, as I understand that the Chinese regime abuses human rights and commits the crimes of organ-harvesting and persecuting Falun Gong practitioners."

"I stand here to appeal that the persecution must not be continued for another ten years, one month, or even only a single day. We should try our best to ensure that there is no need for Falun Gong practitioners to hold a rally here to oppose being persecuted."

Mr. Xu Yi, Chinese pro-democracy advocate in the UK: "The disintegration of the CCP is the only solution to the persecution of Falun Gong."

Mr. Xu Yi, a Chinese pro-democracy advocate and a member of the Global Quit the CCP Alliance in the UK, also spoke at the rally. When asked his views on the theme of "Only with the disintegration of the CCP can the persecution be stopped," he said, "I fully agree that the disintegration of the CCP is the only solution to the persecution of Falun Gong. As long as the CCP is in power, China will never be at peace, and existing atrocities, such as the persecution of Falun Gong, will continue, while new instances of persecution, like what happened in Tibet and Xinjiang, will be inevitable. The only thing that is unpredictable is that we don't know where new acts of persecution will take place. But we are sure that there will will be, as that is the essence of the CCP."

As dusk descended, practitioners participating in the rally marking the 10th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong lit candles to commemorate and pay tribute to over 3200 of their fellow practitioners persecuted to death by the Chinese regime in China. As Big Ben sounded the last chime on July 20, 2009, Falun Gong practitioners' determination to put an end to the persecution was once again reinforced.

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.