Two older men strolling on the square stopped in front of the booth.They listened carefully and one said, “We all need more tolerance and kindness, and Eastern cultures have these virtues.” They also said that unfortunately, the world today has gone crazy and people just want to start wars. The practitioner showed them the local Falun Dafa website, which has more information. One of the men said, “You have the courage to stand up and tell people this. We only hear ugly things on TV.”

Mr. Mishra said that he would share the information he learned from practitioners with his friends and family. Before leaving, he once again strongly condemned the CCP’s practice of organ harvesting from living practitioners, “Anyone involved in such activities, even if they played a small part, should no longer call themselves human beings.”

Christos and his wife listened to the Tian Guo Marching Band perform. His wife had her photo taken in front of the banner that said, “Falun Dafa Is Good.” She said she respected practitioners for their courage and perseverance. Even though they faced ruthless persecution, they remained positive and brought inspiring music to communities. She asked for the contact information for the nearest practice site and said she planned to learn the exercises.

Physiotherapist Stefan said that he’s often seen practitioners’ activities. That day, he accompanied his friends to Oktoberfest and passed by Marienplatz. When he saw Falun Dafa practitioners collecting signatures, he went to the booth.“Stealing human organs is really outrageous. The German government has done too little about this, so I signed the petition. I hope it can help,” he said. He said that practitioners’ activities were positive. On the one hand, the organ harvesting from living practitioners is sad. On the other hand, the scenes of practitioners practicing the exercises are calm and pleasing. The contrast between the two is great. He said, “[Falun Dafa] makes people calm, and the music also makes people feel peaceful. They are like Bodhisattvas, which makes me feel great.”

One couple walked past practitioners twice during the event in Khmelnytsky. The second time, the woman asked a practitioner about Falun Dafa. She expressed her admiration for the practitioners’ perseverance in distributing materials for such a long time. She listened to what the practitioner had to say and said she supported Falun Dafa and its values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Ms. Struyf said she had read about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa. She felt the situation was sad and what the CCP did was wrong. A normal human being would not do something so terrible. She was especially pained when she was told about the CCP’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from living Falun Dafa practitioners.

John, who works in the publishing industry, signed the petition with his wife. They explained that they recently went to Berlin and learned about the Nazis, and he sympathizes with those living under tyranny. “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is the hope for peace. The CCP fears these universal values and so they persecute Falun Dafa,” John said. 

Ms. Guo from Jilin Province said she used to believe whatever the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) said. When she passed by the peaceful scene of practitioners doing the exercises, she decided to find out more about the practice and what the CCP had been doing to practitioners in China. A practitioner told her, “Under the CCP’s rule, upright values in China are deteriorating. The suppression of Falun Gong that is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance has led to the loss of morality among Chinese.” Ms. Guo nodded in agreement and said, “If everyone followed Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, there would not be so much chaos in China.” Looking at the flier in her hand, she said she would read it when she got home.

Two Ukrainian women talked with a practitioner and listened intently as the practitioner explained Falun Dafa and its values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. They stayed at the booth and learned more about the practice.“What a good thing. Today, I came across such a good practice thanks to you,” one of them told the practitioner.The two women left after taking flyers about the practice and lotus flower keepsakes with Falun Dafa’s values written on them.

A mother from Cologne brought her two daughters and a friend’s daughter to the booth. The three little girls all wanted to learn to make small lotus flowers. During the crafting process, the children learned that the words “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance” on the little lotus flower are the principles of Falun Dafa. The practitioner told them that they should be honest, kind, and humble children in their daily lives. The mother said, “This is so important. These values must be passed on. It is so important that you are here.”