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.”  

Laure works in real estate management. She said, “(The Chinese Communist Party) organ harvesting from living persons is too cruel. This is a terrorist act. It must be stopped, completely stopped!” She said that the situation we live in currently keeps getting worse. Falun Dafa practitioners do only good deeds, and do not disturb others. Carrying out bloody killing of these good people by the CCP is terrifying, and it still avoids this matter (internationally). The media doesn’t report it, and people in France don’t know about it. She was indignant about this. She said, “I signed the petition. Every French person must sign, and people all over the world should sign to oppose such persecution.”

A man talked to Micke, a Falun Dafa practitioner, and said he admired practitioners for resisting the persecution, “Falun Dafa practitioners’ protests are different from other groups. Your activity always looks so peaceful, calm, and beautiful.”  

Ángel is a photography student. When he heard about the CCP’s forced organ harvesting from living practitioners, he was stunned. “Wars are often talked about in the news now, but the heinous persecution of Falun Gong [also called Falun Dafa] and the organ harvesting from living practitioners in China are even more serious and horrific, but they are rarely reported,” Ángel said. He hopes that his photos can enable more people to learn the truth, condemn the CCP’s evil deeds, and do their part to help stop the persecution.

Roselyne, a freelance writer, signed the petition and said, “I’m shocked that Chinese people are completely deprived of their human rights.” She said she watched a documentary about Falun Dafa on French Television Station of Arts. The film showed how the Chinese Communist regime created false stories to slander Falun Dafa, and how practitioners hijacked the television signal and broadcast the facts. She was shocked by the torture practitioners were subjected to in prison, where they were forced to work for more than 12 hours every day.