Sweden: A Series of Activities to Mark Ten Years of Resisting the Persecution

In order to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) decade-long persecution of Falun Gong, practitioners in Sweden held a car tour, stopping in a number of cities to hold activities. The tour started from Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, on July 11th 2009, and stopped in various cities including Malmo, Borgholm, Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Linkping, Karlstad, and Orebro. The activities received a lot of attention from local political figures and the media, as well as strong support from the local people.

On July 19, 2009, the car tour arrived on schedule at the final destination, the capital city of Stockholm. On the morning of July 19, the practitioners went to a well-known scenic site in Stockholm, the Vasa Museum (Vasa museet), where they did the exercises as a group. They introduced Falun Dafa to tourists from all over the world and exposed the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Dafa in China.

A Chinese tour group saw the practitioners doing the exercises, and were amazed. They said that they had seen the Epoch Times newspaper the day before. Many of them had looked at the Falun Gong information column and carefully read it.

These Swedish youngsters showed their support for Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful protest


People signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution

Protesting the CCP's persecution in front of the Chinese Embassy

At 6:00 p.m., practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy to protest the CCP's decade-long brutal persecution in China. Some practitioners held banners that read, "Stop Persecuting Falun Gong" and "Support the 57 Million Quitting the Chinese Communist Party". The practitioners held a candlelight vigil to commemorate those fellow practitioners who lost their lives in the persecution.

During the event, several speeches were given exposing the CCP's inhuman persecution of Falun Gong with their personal experiences. They called on all people to condemn these crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, they delivered a message to the embassy staff, calling on them to learn about the facts of Falun Gong as soon as possible and not be accomplices of the CCP's persecution.

Passers-by stopped to ask questions. Many learned about Falun Gong, and a lot of motorists passing the embassy slowed down and gave a thumbs-up or honked as a show of support.


Sitting meditation near the Swedish National Maritime Museum	Protesting the CCP's decade-long persecution of Falun Gong in front of the Chinese Embassy

Rally in City Centre Square to seek support

On the morning of July 20, the practitioners held large-scale activities in downtown Stockholm (Sergels Torg). There was a photo exhibition illustrating the journey of Falun Gong, an exercise demonstration, and music and dance performances to spread the grace of Dafa. Practitioners also exposed the persecution by re-enacting some of the CCP's torture methods, while Falun Gong practitioners narrated their personal experiences of being persecuted in China. Practitioners also taught the exercises to those who wanted to learn.

The demonstration of the peaceful Falun Gong exercises attracted a lot of visitors who stopped and watched. Some of them wanted to learn the exercises on the spot. A woman stayed for more than two hours, taking in the exercises and the other events.

People were shocked that such a peaceful practice has been persecuted by the CCP for ten years. One woman signed the petition form calling for an end to the persecution, and then encouraged her three children to sign their names as well. Her youngest son was only five years old. The woman said, "I am very confident that all this information is true. I have a friend who has adopted a child from China. She often goes to China. We are all very concerned about China's affairs. We often look at the reports on human rights issues in China. I often talk to my children about it. I think we all should be aware of the issues."

A group of young people listened to the practitioners' explanation, and immediately put their signatures on the petition. They were pleased to have a group photo taken with the practitioners to express their support for Falun Gong.

A western practitioner who took part in the car tour said, "I have deep feelings about this car tour. Now, more and more people are concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong, but a lot of people are still deceived by the CCP. We cannot allow the persecution to continue further."