(Clearwsidom.net) After promoting Falun Gong and holding anti-torture exhibitions in several large Swiss cities, Dafa practitioners have started holding similar activities in more remote areas. On October 27 and 30, several activities were held in Frabeb-feld and St. Gallen.
The state government provided the locations free of charge, and high school students helped to collect petition signatures calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. In Switzerland, the practitioners have to apply for a permit to hold such activities in advance from the state government or the police station, and there are certain fees involved. During the application processes for the various venues where Dafa-promoting activities are held, Swiss practitioners always send along information and pictures exposing the persecution against Falun Gong. When they applied for a location from the state government, practitioners still followed this procedure, helping the officials understand the truth as well as the goal and significance of the whole activity. This time, the officials responded by saying, "What you do is really good and very meaningful. We support you. You can use the area adjacent to the post office. It is a prominent location and lots of people will be there. It will allow many people to understand the truth about Falun Gong. You may hold your activity in this place for free."
The post office site was a really big and busy place. The practitioners explained the contents of the informational display boards, distributed leaflets and collected petition signatures. The practitioners were all happy to be in such a busy location where they could get their message across to so many people. Several high school students who understood the truth came to our stand. After signing their names on the petition, they asked for blank petition forms so that their friends, classmates and teachers could also sign their names.
Holding an Anti-Torture Exhibition in St. Gallen
Autumn in St. Gallen is usually very cold. On October 30, the weather forecast originally called for rain but instead it was sunny and as warm as spring. In our anti-torture exhibition, we only reenacted one method of torture, where Dafa practitioners are tortured in an iron cage. The most important thing is that practitioners told people the facts about the persecution face-to-face and asked for signatures calling for an end to the persecution. Some practitioners demonstrated the exercises and others sent righteous thoughts.
A continuous flow of people came to our stand. They all paid attention to what Dafa practitioners talked about: the goodness of Falun Dafa and the situation of Falun Gong outside of China. The more people listened, the more they wanted to know. Many people said immediately that they wanted to learn the exercises and enquired about where the exercise sites were and where to buy the Falun Dafa books. One person said that he took the train from Frabeb-feld, where our activity was held a few days before, just to have a second chat with the practitioners.
Some people repeatedly came to talk with Dafa practitioners. While they listened, they also asked questions. Some even shared their experiences with practitioners for more than one hour and did not want to leave. More and more people came by, and the practitioners felt that they were short-handed, so they recorded their voices, explaining the facts and played the recording repeatedly. In this way, many more people had the opportunity to understand the truth. Statements such as, "Falun Gong is really good," and, "Jiang Zemin has no humanity," constantly burst from the crowd.
When they saw the torture pictures and the torture reenactment, people said that it was really sad, and some attempted to release the person from the cage. The practitioners explained that this was just a performance. In China, once Jiang's group imprisoned Dafa practitioners in iron cages, the practitioners usually had to stay there for more than 100 days. An elderly man was wiping away tears while listening. Many people said that there are no human rights or basic freedom in China.
A Diligent Little Practitioner
A six-year old little practitioner takes part in many activities with her parents to promote Falun Gong. She started practicing the exercises and sending righteous thoughts as soon as she arrived. Then she took a presentation board and faced the oncoming pedestrians.
On the presentation board, there was a picture showing a little practitioner in Mainland China outside the iron cage in which his mother was imprisoned, hoping his mother could be set free soon. Many people didn't understand and asked her what the picture was about. She said that this is a little practitioner in Mainland China. His mother was arrested due to practicing Falun Gong and was locked up in jail. He especially missed his mother and hoped his mother could come home soon.
In China, people who practice Falun Gong are forced to leave home and move from place to place in order to avoid the violent persecution; countless little children are left without their mothers and fathers. Practitioners are appealing to the government of China to stop persecuting Falun Gong, and to free all the imprisoned practitioners so that these children can be reunited with their fathers and mothers as soon as possible.
There were 840 people who signed the petition to support Falun Gong in St. Gallen and more than 1,000 flyers were distributed. As we finished up the day and prepared to go home, many people still hurried over to ask for information from us. Some even said that they wish us success and that they know that the persecutors will never win.
http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200411/23083.html
