The man said he felt a little pessimistic and helpless, but after coming to the free world and seeing that more than 400 million Chinese have withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations, he regained hope. “I have seen Falun Gong practitioners in many places in the United States and Europe exposing the CCP’s crime of forced organ harvesting,” he said. “The CCP must be punished by the divine for committing such evil acts against humanity.”He added, “I admire Falun Gong practitioners for their persistence in their faith over the years. In today’s turbulent environment, [Falun Gong’s principles of] Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance guides more people to improve their morality and be good people, which will definitely have a positive impact on society.”

Government officials in the highest offices of the United Kingdom have expressed their support for efforts to end the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) in China. The office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the office of Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, and several members of the British House of Lords and House of Commons sent letters to express their support for an April 20, 2024 event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the April 25 appeal..

A software engineer who went to China on several business trips told practitioners, “Westerners who go to China are only allowed to see the beautiful parts. The CCP will never let you see how it suppresses people in general and Falun Gong practitioners in particular. Before I went to China, my coworkers reminded me I could be arrested for saying something inappropriate because you never know if what you say will bring you trouble.”After reading the resolution by the European Parliament condemning the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong, a man said, “This is surprising and admirable. Many people want to do business with China, but this resolution is an important signal. I hope there will be a fundamental change.”

Accompanied by her granddaughter Sofia, an older woman asked about the purpose of the event. Learning that Falun Dafa is based on the values of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, she expressed her surprise that such values were being promoted in today’s world. 

 “Dafa is talking about the role of moral principles in society! Very good! In this upside-down society we are living in today, there is a practice that teaches people to be good and to have moral principles,” said the woman. “This is about education.”

It was a bright, sunny day, and the streets were filled with people enjoying the break in the winter weather. They were drawn to the booth and stopped to find out more about Falun Dafa. They signed the petition and expressed support for practitioners after learning of the human rights atrocities in China.When Tatiana from Russia heard of the inhuman methods used by the CCP to torture Falun Dafa practitioners, including taking their organs without consent to sell for organ transplants, she said that she knew the regime was capable of such brutality. “It’s evil and horrifying,” she said.She was also interested in learning the exercises and the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. She asked who she could contact locally, “I would like to know where I can learn the practice.”

Four students from the University of Bucharest talked with practitioners and accepted truth-clarification materials. They commended practitioners for persisting in telling people about the persecution and following Falun Dafa’s principles, Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. One of the students said, “It is very hard to persist in these values in society nowadays. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are not respected enough in society. Thank you for telling me about Falun Dafa.”Patrick, one of the four students said, “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance should be practiced by everyone.”

Daniel is currently teaching at the International School of Vantaa in Helsinki. He shared his views on the Communist regime with practitioners. “Falun Dafa is a group with spiritual beliefs,” he said, “yet it is persecuted in China. I am absolutely against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) persecuting Falun Dafa.” He smiled and pointed at the three words: “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance” on the poster and said, “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance are important values in our daily lives. They help people maintain tranquility and growth.” Mr. Marhambet also said, “The CCP is terrible. They persecute everyone in the world and commit crimes of genocide. They have been suppressing minority groups in China for a long time. They also persecute Vietnamese people, people in Kazakhstan, and so on. This should end at once.

People from all over the world come to the Palais des Nations. A woman from Brittany, France said she previously practiced qigong but was never able to find one she liked. When she heard about Falun Dafa, she said she was very interested. A practitioner explained the spiritual aspect of Falun Dafa, and the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.She said she would look for a group practice site in her area. Before she left, the practitioner gave her a leaflet. The woman once again expressed her gratitude and said, “Thank you, thank you very much!” A couple stopped in front of the stall and began talking to a practitioner in broken English. Another practitioner overheard the couple talking in Portuguese, so she walked over and spoke to them in Portuguese. They were happy to learn more about Falun Dafa.  

The event caught the attention of passersby who went right to the table to sign the petition or gave practitioners a thumbs up to show their approval of their efforts.A man who lives near the Chinese Embassy said he signed the petition to express his support for practitioners’ efforts to end the persecution. He said, “I know about this. Every day I see you meditating there.”After signing the petition, high school student Ilona told practitioners that her teacher in her religion class told them that Falun Gong could not be practiced freely in China and was being brutally persecuted.A woman said, “I am a member of Amnesty International and know about Falun Gong. People should have freedom of belief, freedom to learn and practice the exercises, and freedom of speech. You are doing the right thing.”

Lydie is a pediatrician who was accompanying her mother for a stroll. She encountered Falun Dafa practitioners at the Council of Europe and paused to chat. “Falun Dafa practitioners are direct victims,” she said. “There are still many things not reported and kept in the dark. Many people are misguided by false information. There is a lot of pain and sorrow because the CCP is hiding everything. People are afraid because there are a lot of threats and intimidation.” She encouraged Falun Dafa practitioners to persist and to fight for those who are persecuted.

A woman named Päivi told a practitioner that she was a member of Amnesty International and regularly received information about the CCP’s human rights violations. Upon hearing about the CCP’s atrocities against practitioners, Päivi was saddened by the severity of the persecution. She signed the petition and said she hopes practitioners will get many more signatures.

Bas is a photographer and cameraman. When he learned that Falun Gong practitioners’ organs were removed without consent in prisons in China, he told practitioners that he could not ignore such atrocities and signed the petition.Bas said it is saddening to know that the Chinese Communist Party is persecuting people who simply want to improve their physical and mental health. “People do things in a completely legal and wonderful way, improving their moral character. This shouldn't be banned. This persecution is terrible,” he said.He also said the values of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance taught by Falun Gong are “the most important values in life.”

Sevda and her husband Mr. Sinan shared their experience after doing the Falun Dafa exercises. “I feel great! I wish I could do them longer,” Sevda said. Mr. Sinan agreed and said, “It was a nice event. I had positive thoughts and my mind and my body relaxed.”