Germany: Falun Gong Receives Strong Support at the Cultural Carnival in Hamburg

At noon on September 12, 2009, groups of people from different nationalities in colourful costumes passed, singing and dancing through the Hamburg downtown area at the climax of the annual Cultural Carnival of Hamburg in Germany. As the only Chinese group, Falun Gong practitioners also joined in the parade and were well received by the organisers and audience.

Female Drummers of the Divine Marching Band

The audience took photos wherever the Falun Gong procession went

This, the largest international outdoor cultural parade in north Germany has been held annually for seven years. Tolerance is the theme of the 2009 Hamburg Cultural Festival. There was an increase in the proportion of subject matter about human rights in the Festival activities. Besides introducing Falun Gong, practitioners also exposed the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong during the parade.

The procession of Falun Gong consisted of about 150 people, in the front of which were about 90 members of the European Divine Marching Band dressed in costumes of the Chinese ancient styles, followed by a float, a celestial maiden team, as well as re-enactment of the CCP's tortures of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

The General Director of the Carnival Festival holds that a persecuted group should expose the persecution to the public, and the more in depth, the better.

Madam Sabine Kulau expressed to the correspondent that the Divine Marching Band had left a deep impression on her last year. Madam Kulau also noted that the costumes worn by the Divine Marching Band were new this year. She thought that the giant banners with the content exposing the CCP's persecution held by Falun Gong practitioners were well matched with the theme of this parade. She said, "The persecuted group should expose the persecution to the public and call for the attention of the people. The more in depth the exposure is, the better."

A few years ago, the Chinese Consulate contacted Madam Kulau requesting her not to allow the participation of Falun Gong in the parade, but she turned down the request. This year, some Chinese people phoned her asking her why she had allowed the participation of Falun Gong in the parade. Regarding this, Madam Kulau said, "I have said to either the Consulate or the individuals that our parade is open to all the groups, of course, including the groups that are suffering from persecution and discrimination. Only those extreme rightist (neo-Nazi) and evil cult groups are not allowed to participate. As Falun Gong does not belong to either of those two groups, we, of course, cannot refuse them."

The harvesting of living organs is shocking

Insurance broker: "I will visit the websites and find out more information about the persecution of Falun Gong."

Madam Kirsten Kloppenborg, who works in the field of finance and insurance, said to the correspondent that she was surprised to see from the Falun Gong procession a banner that 60 million people have quit the CCP and its affiliated organisations. She also said that she was shocked by the CCP's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. She held that these evil crimes should be exposed to the public. She said, holding in her hand the leaflets about the CCP's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, "We will find out more details from the internet. I think it is very important to expose the persecution to the public."

A legal worker (left): The persecution of a peaceful group is shocking to the people.

While shopping in the City Centre, a couple saw the procession by chance. Anna Hinze is a legal worker. She said, "The scene displayed in the parade (re-enactment of the tortures) is frightening. The situation of Falun Gong practitioners in China is very bad. The persecution of a peaceful group is shocking to the people."

Lescek, of Polish origin, is a retired mechanical designer who came to live in Germany before the downfall of the East European communist regimes. According to his experience of living for several decades under the rule of the Polish Communist Party, he believes that the root cause of the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong is that the communist autocracy wants to control everything, including the people's thoughts and conduct. If it feels it is unable to control, it will suppress.

Wei Shanshan, sister of the famous democratic activist Wei Jingsheng, is living in Germany. It was her first time this year to personally participate in the Falun Gong procession in the Cultural Carnival Parade and hold a banner that read, "Secure your future by quitting the CCP". She said, "The words (Secure your future by quitting the CCP) are correctly expressed. The CCP has suppressed the Chinese people for so many years. If one does not break away from the CCP, there will be bad fortune when the CCP collapses."