(Clearwisdom.net) I will never forget July 20 and July 22, 1999, as long as I live. On July 20, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin started persecuting Falun Gong and many practice-site coordinators were arrested. Two days later, thousands of us went to the City Council Appeals Office to demand their release. Our experiences that day are also absolutely unforgettable.
Around 7:00 a.m., many practitioners lined up in front of the City Council Appeals Office and the streets were blocked by the police. Almost all of the city police force was present to clear us out. They shoved us backwards forcefully. We moved slowly because there were so many of us. Suddenly, there six or seven police began beating a young male practitioner. He was lying hurt on the ground. Some policemen kicked him in the chest and the small of his back. Dirty footprints covered his white shirt. Practitioners shouted, "Don't beat him!" More police then came and tore at other practitioners' hair, beating and kicking them, too. The practitioners endured it quietly and didn't hit back when they were attacked, or talk back when insulted.
Seeing the police only beat the men, the women began to stand between the men and the police. When the police tried to beat the men, the women formed a barrier to protect them. However, a couple of the policemen grasped two female practitioners by the hair and smashed their heads together. Some police savagely beat other practitioners on the back. One practitioner's glasses fell, but the policemen didn't allow him to pick them up and continued to shove him backwards. Although some of us were terribly beaten, we felt no pain. We knew that our great and benevolent Master endured the pain for us.
We were pushed into the square behind the city hall and surrounded by police. One policeman had a bandage around his arm. A practitioner whispered to me, "He got injured when he was beating us yesterday." Although the policeman was not able to move his arm, he kept insulting us.
At around 7:30 a.m., someone shouted loudly, "Look at the sun! Look at the sun!" We looked eastward and a phenomenal scene emerged; something we had never witnessed before. Some the sun appear as a huge Falun held up by an equally huge hand. Some saw that the sky was full of light purple and yellow Faluns. I saw four smaller Faluns surround the red sun. Some practitioners saw Master in tears sitting in a big lotus flower, pressing his hands together in the heshi gesture. We were all amazed by what we saw.
We were so excited that we couldn't help clapping our hands and many of us shed tears. I was afraid that my tears would block the beautiful scene before me, so I kept wiping my eyes constantly. Someone shouted, "Look at the sky!" Countless yellow flashing Falun fell from the sky onto us. I tried to catch a tiny Falun on top of a practitioner's shoulder. Another practitioner told me softly, "You don't have to do that. You also have one on your body."
A large rainbow then appeared above the entire square. It showed bands of bright yellow, pink and light green. It was so beautiful! The police also witnessed this miraculous scene. Some residents nearby opened their windows to see it, while others watched from their balconies. The square was soon full of excitement.
The police were afraid and shouted loudly trying to push the crowd into an alley. One practitioner said, "Master is right beside us protecting us. We have nothing to be afraid of." Afterward, the practitioners were kept away from the square. We walked along the road near city hall and there was silence among us.
Around 1:00 p.m., a person said, "You all go ahead and gather together in the square." People began to move following the person who was leading the way. (It is said that it was a plainclothes policeman.) We all soon arrived at the square. Numerous police surrounded us and tried to push us towards the middle. Between two to three thousand people were squeezed together into the center of the square.
It was a scorching hot July afternoon and we were out under the intense sun. The police sweat profusely. Some unbuttoned their shirts and constantly drank water. However, all the practitioners stood there facing the same direction. None of us were sweating or drinking water. Small gusts of wind were constantly blowing among the practitioners. We knew in our heart that Master was taking care of us. We were not wrong to come out to defend Dafa.
One pregnant lady stood among us with her protruding belly. A young man, probably her husband, came and persuaded the police to let him in to try and retrieve her, however, she refused. The young man then called four strong men to carry her away.
Two elderly practitioners wanted to go to the restroom, but the police wouldn't allow this. The two practitioners were so worried that they said they could leave their bags as collateral, but the policemen replied, "You can't leave! If you really need to, just soil your pants."
At 3:30 p.m., we were all forced into big buses and taken to different schools far away from the city. We were detained in the classrooms. Shortly afterward, we heard practitioners reciting the Fa. The police tried to stop them, violently forcing those who played a leading role to immediately stop. We were prohibited from using the restroom for seven hours and not until 8:00 pm were we again allowed this privilege. However, nobody soiled their pants, including the two practitioners I mentioned above. Thank you, Master! It was you who protected us all this time.
Around 10:00 p.m., everyone's name was recorded and each of us had to fill out forms. After the police received our personal information, they left us. It was quite late at night and we helped each other find the correct train stations to get home.
That was 11 years ago, but we will never forget what happened that day because we personally witnessed the evil persecution. Moreover, we experienced Master's grand mercy as well as the magnificence of Falun Dafa.
