(Minghui.org) On April 25, Falun Gong practitioners in Ottawa, Canada, assembled in front of the Chinese embassy, commemorating the 14th anniversary of the April 25 appeal and calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
The rally in front of the Chinese embassy in Ottawa
Several Falun Gong practitioners who participated in the appeal in Beijing 14 years ago spoke at the rally and shared their personal stories.
Mr. Li Xun, the chair of the Falun Dafa Association in Canada said: “Today we are here to call for an end to the 14-year long persecution of Falun Gong in China. We also hope that more people will learn the truth about the persecution. Many facts of the persecution have been revealed by the media, but what has been reported is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Mr. Li said: “Despite the brutal persecution, Falun Gong practitioners have taken a peaceful approach, and persisted in their belief. They are not only standing up for their own human rights, but also for the rights of all Chinese people.”
“Due to practitioners' efforts in the last 14 years, more and more people have learned the truth, and Falun Gong has spread to more than 100 countries. Chinese people have begun to recognize the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party, and over 135 million Chinese have renounced their memberhips to the CCP and its affiliated organizations.”
Jared Pearman, a computer engineer and a Falun Gong practitioner, attended the rally. He began practicing Falun Gong 12 years ago when he was a college student in the US. He said to the reporter that practitioners do not have any political pursuit; all they ask is for the persecution to stop and for people in China to be able to freely practice Falun Gong.