1. Sweden
2. Japan
3. Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
4. Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
October 1 is China's National Day, yet Jiang Zemin and his cohorts' policies have obscured this normally festive occasion this year. Dafa has been unfairly slandered and countless practitioners have been persecuted. Despite our repeated peaceful appeals over the last year, Jiang Zemin has shown no signs of letting up. In order to let more people know the truth and to support practitioners in China, Dafa practitioners from all over the world spontaneously participated in a series of activities promoting and appealing for Dafa on the PRC National Day. The following is a short selection.
1. Sweden
Exhibit to introduce Dafa before China's National Day
From September 21 to 25, practitioners from Sweden held a week-long "Falun Dafa Real Story" exhibit in the library of Goteborg. The exhibit included a brief overview of Dafa, a demonstration of the five sets of exercises, the "Voice of Swedish practitioners" newsletter, stories of the hardships endured by Dafa practitioners in China, material explaining the benefits Falun Gong for people's physical health, a videotape of the Real Story (part II), and a stand for learning and practicing the exercises - a total of nine parts. There was excellent turnout from the locals. There were elementary students, teachers, doctors, college students, retired people, and people from other walks of life. A journalist from the Goteborg Post also interviewed some of the practitioners and reported news about this exhibit.
On September 27, we held an introductory exhibit for the Swedish government officers at the People's Hall in Stockholm.
October 1st Peaceful Appeal and News Press Release
On October 1st, from 1 to 4 o'clock, dozens of practitioners from Sweden gathered at Segel Square in Stockholm. They presented picture exhibits and demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises, asking the Chinese government to stop Jiang Zemin and his inner circle's cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. They wanted to call the world's attention to China's further abuse of human rights in their persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. At the same time, Falun Gong practitioners held an informational press conference for the media.
Because of a report by Sweden TV and other reports about how more than 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners were violently arrested during China's National Day, our peaceful appeal attracted many people. They stopped by and wanted to know more about Falun Gong, and expressed their sincere concern for our practitioners in China.
Around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the media, including TT, STV, Express, and Aftonbolaget, came to Segel Square. They interviewed Dafa practitioners, who read the Appeal Letter to the journalists. Swedish TV and radio stations broadcast the appeal activities and news about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Media reports after October 1st
On October 2nd, all of the major newspapers in Sweden reported on the Chinese policemen's violent arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in China, and they also published a question and answer session regarding Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful appeal in Stockholm. The articles included many insightful pictures. The practitioners' peaceful facial expressions while doing the exercises formed a sharp contrast with the Chinese policemen's' look while violently beating Falun Gong practitioners. In one of the reports, there was a scene of a journalist learning the exercises from the practitioners.
On October 3, a Swedish TV show, "Radio House" ran an interview of the Goteborg Saturday practice. This program was about 25 minutes long.
From the changes in the media reports, we can see that more and more people are waking up to the truth about Falun Gong.
Promoting Dafa to government officers
During China's National Day, the news of over 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners being violently arrested by the police once again shocked many kind-hearted people. At the same time, it also caught more people's attention, and even some of the government officers' concern. On October 2, several practitioners contacted some of the relevant Swedish government offices and expressed their wish to meet with them. The government officers promptly arranged time to meet with them that very day. They criticized the Chinese government's continuing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and stated that their conduct was a violation of basic human rights. They also expressed their sincere sympathy to those innocent Falun Gong practitioners who had lost their personal freedom. Both sides exchanged opinions and suggestions regarding peaceful solutions to the Falun Gong issue.
(Translated on Oct. 8, 2000 from edited version of
http://www.minghui.cc/gb/0001/Oct/05/Sweden_1001.html)
2. Japan
* Tokyo
On September 30, more than ten Dafa practitioners attended the Third Students Abroad in Japan and the Twenty-first International Chinese Development Research and Discussion Conference, held in Tokyo Industrial University's Hundred Year Memorial Hall. Practitioners distributed newsletters introducing Dafa near the meeting area and also discussed Falun Dafa with those in attendance at the meeting. Some of the guests included leaders from China, some Chinese embassy staff members and their Japanese guests, students from China, and Chinese scholars currently working in Japan.
* Yokohama
In the early morning of September 30 and October 1, Dafa practitioners came to the park on China Street to practice the Falun Gong exercises. Even though it rained periodically, the practitioners' legs remained dry while they were in the lotus position. Many of the onlookers became interested and asked to be given more information regarding Falun Gong.
After the exercises, the practitioners went to the four gates of the China Street area and to the park at the foot of the mountains. There they distributed Dafa newsletters introducing the truth of Dafa and displayed their own picture collections prepared in both Chinese and Japanese. In the meantime, they answered the crowd's questions. Many people were surprised to see the miserable condition of the imprisoned practitioners and the instruments of torture used on practitioners of all ages and both genders, only because these people would not give up their cultivation practice. They could hardly believe what they saw. A Chinese young man who practices Taichi was especially outraged at the fact that Jiang Zemin not only persecuted his own people but also slandered Dafa internationally.
Besides Yokohama, from October 1, Dafa practitioners also distributed Dafa newsletters at various busy business centers in Tokyo. They also distributed Dafa newsletters or displayed the photo collections to tell people the truth and to expose the evil to the light of day. People could see the yellow T-shirt of Dafa practitioners on Tokyo's busy streets, trolley buses, and Chinese grocery stores.
In the afternoon of October 1, there came the news about thousands Dafa practitioners being arrested again in Tiananmen square. Practitioners from Japan acted promptly. In the morning of October 2, they went to the Chinese Embassy and protested for the Chinese government and all Chinese people to stop Jiang Zemin's perverse acts and bloody persecution.
(Translated on Oct. 8, 2000 from edited version of
http://www.minghui.cc/gb/0001/Oct/06/japannews.html)
3. Boston, Massachusetts
Numerous Chinese groups and organizations in the Boston area hosted events celebrating "National Day" on October 1st. Falun Gong practitioners also participated in celebration activities at MIT and Boston Civil Center Square. At the same time, they took advantage of the event to promote Dafa and to clarify the truth.
Each practitioner dressed impeccably in a suit and polished shoes, wearing a small yellow flower. Their hearts filled with compassion, their manners polite, courteous, dignified and affable, they fully manifested the elegant side of Dafa practitioners. They engaged in sincere conversations with visiting Chinese and handed out pamphlets clarifying the truth. They distributed an "Open Letter to Overseas Chinese in Massachusetts," telling their fellow countryman about the truth of Falun Dafa, that as Dafa practitioners they love their country dearly, and that they wish for China to progress in earnest to embody true freedom, democracy, a competent legal system, and prosperity for all.
Falun Gong practitioners arrived early for both the Chinese Association Meeting at MIT and the National Flag Raising Celebration Ceremony at Civil Center Square. They started distributing pamphlets and information packets to tourists and fellow Chinese nationals attending the event. Since people arrived gradually, practitioners could spread out to cover all entrances and street corners, thus minimizing interference with the organized activities. It was especially convenient during the early hours when there weren't a lot of people, as they could conduct one-on-one conversations with ease. The atmosphere is more cordial and calm in a personal conversation, so it is easier to clarify the Truth. Outside the Civic Center Square, many people were shocked and angered when they saw the pictures from CNN showing Dafa practitioners being savagely beaten by plainclothes policemen in Tiananmen Square. Some said: "It's really true!" "So cruel!" Some Westerners said: "Truly obnoxious!" Many people asked for Falun Gong information.
Throughout such activities, practitioners saw the compassion in the hearts of bystanders and fellow countrymen; they also saw the barriers formed in some Chinese who had either been deceived by propaganda or whose perspective had been distorted after decades of political activities.
Practitioners realized that they could achieve better results by using compassion and maintaining a friendly and reasonable demeanor when promoting Dafa and clarifying the truth. They realized that more attention must be paid to details when promoting and clarifying Dafa to local human rights organizations and various Chinese groups. At the same time, these practitioners also recognized certain blind spots in their understanding of the promotion of Dafa. They gained a better understanding of Teacher's "practice cultivation while conforming to everyday people." They improved their insight into the boundless Dafa and the immeasurable compassion of our Teacher.
(Translated on October 8, 2000 from edited version of
http://www.minghui.ca/gb/0001/Oct/04/Boston10-2.html)
4. Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
In just a few days, practitioners from Cleveland, Kent, and Akron managed to prepare several exhibits to introduce Dafa and tell people the truth of Dafa. They also printed more copies of the "Qingliu" newsletter and successfully held an exhibition to Chinese people on the square of Chinatown.
Category: Rallies & Protests
