(Minghui.org) On April 25 1999, ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appealed for justice in Beijing. Fourteen years later, practitioners in Finland held activities to commemorate that extraordinary day.
People line up to sign the petition to stop the persecution
Many people stop before the information boards
Falun Gong practitioners in Finland have gathered to commemorate the "April 25 Appeal" in front of the Chinese Embassy
In the morning, Falun Gong practitioners in Finland gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy. In their speeches, the practitioners talked about the history of the "April 25" appeal. On that day practitioners asked the Communist Party authorities for the unconditional release of all Falun Gong practitioners who had been arrested in Tianjin two days earlier. They also asked that restrictions on the publication of Falun Gong books be lifted, and to have a non-threatening environment in which to practice cultivation.
Today, they called for good people everywhere to come together to stop this unprecedented persecution.
The candlelight vigil that evening allowed many people to become aware of the truth, and aware of the brutal persecution that is happening in China. Many passers-by stopped to watch and the site was peaceful. The photos of Falun Gong practitioners in China being brutally tortured were hung on banners, which moved many people.
Holding portraits of Falun Gong practitioners who had been persecuted to death, the practitioners sat quietly before the banners, and the scene was very solemn. With a microphone, a practitioner kept explaining the significance of the “April 25 appeal” and the facts about the Communist Party’s 14 year long brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Many passers-by signed the petition to stop the persecution.
On seeing the portraits of Falun Gong practitioners who had been persecuted to death, a 31-year-old Finnish woman was so surprised that she could not believe that the CCP could have done such cruel things. Having heard the personal experience of a Falun Gong practitioner who was previously illegally imprisoned by the CCP and tortured in mainland China, the lady expressed: “It is horrifying that a political Party has been persecuting such a group of kind people for so long.” After that, she immediately signed the petition showing her support. During the whole process of the Candlelight vigil, a lot of touching scenes like this took place.
After becoming aware of the fact that the CCP has been persecuting Falun Gong practitioners for over ten years and has even harvested their organs for profit while they were still alive, five 20-year-old Finnish young people immediately said that such a thing should be stopped and they all signed the petition.
In addition, four 20-year-old Finnish girls shed tears of sympathy upon hearing the truth clarification. They all said: “The organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners is so evil that no human beings can do such a thing, and this should be immediately stopped.” They all signed the petition to show their support.
Category: April 25 Events
