Finland: Practitioners Win Public Support for their Peaceful Resistance

On July 18-19, 2009, Falun Gong practitioners in Finland held a series of activities in downtown Helsinki, capital of Finland. They called upon people from all walks of life to pay attention to the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), see clearly the CCP's wicked nature, and stop the persecution. Many passersby learned about the facts and signed the petition forms to support practitioners' effort to end the persecution.

Tourists stop to look at display boards	A lady reads materials while her husband listens to a practitioner's explanation
Tourists sign the petition forms	Practitioner Olli explains to tourists about Falun Gong and the persecution

Tourists looks at banners

Display in Front of the Helsinki Tuomiokikko Impresses Tourists
Practitioners put up a display in front of the famous tourist spot Helsinki Tuomiokikko. Banners reading "Falun Dafa is good" and "Completely disintegrate the CCP, and stop the persecution" attracted tourists' attention. Many tourists from Russia and Estonia and other countries listened attentively to practitioners' explanation about the persecution, while translating the facts they heard into their mother tongue, and then telling their accompanying family members about them. They appreciated practitioners' kindness and wished them good luck.

Four boys were engrossed in looking at photos depicting torture methods employed by the CCP to grossly abuse Falun Gong practitioners. When they learned that Falun Gong practitioners had even had their organs harvested, they were shocked. One was particularly sad, his eyes turned red, and he kept shaking his head and letting out heavy sighs.

A girl from Jamaica looked at the photos depicting torture methods employed to grossly abuse Falun Gong practitioners, and listened to practitioners' personal experience. She was sad and tears ran down her face.

People Learn Facts at City Centre Park, Sign Petition to Support Efforts to End the Persecution

Tourists at city centre park took photos of banners, showed sympathy for practitioners who have suffered the persecution, and asked how they can help. They signed a petition to support the effort to end the persecution. Many people inquired about the practice of Falun Gong itself.

A mother told a practitioner that the practitioners looked like messengers of peace. She was eager to know why the Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong. The practitioners told her that in China, the Communist Party worried that there were too many people practising Falun Gong, and therefore tarted persecuting them. The woman signed the petition form herself and also asked her 12-year-old daughter to sign.

Two elderly ladies came over to discuss with a practitioner. One lady was from Helsinki where she has seen practitioners hold activities at train station many times. This time she brought her friend with her to see Falun Gong. Her friend lives in Denmark, where she had also seen Falun Gong before. Both ladies know that the Communist Party brutally persecutes Falun Gong. They think that the Communist Party is very bad.

A man in his 90s came to sign the petition form. He said that he understood the practitioners' effort, "You're doing good deeds."

There were also many tourists from Taiwan. Two Taiwanese tourists were pleased as soon as they saw practitioners. "We've been to many places, and have seen Falun Gong everywhere. You've done a great job." Another Taiwanese tourist came over to the booth and looked at the display boards for quite some time. He finally said, "I'm from Taiwan, Falun Gong is really great."

Reporter from Channel TV 4 (Nelonen) videotapes the scene

On the afternoon of July 18, a reporter from local television station Nelonen came. Their report stated, "Today, Falun Gong practitioners held activities in Esplanas Park to expose the Communist Party's persecution. Monday marked the ten-year anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a kind of activity that Chinese people do to keep fit. Some practitioners who took part in this activity were subjected to torture and forced labor and later rescued by the United Nations."