(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners are calling upon the visiting Chinese president Xi Jinping to end the 18-year-long persecution in China, and bring the former communist dictator Jiang Zemin, who launched and personally directed the persecution, to justice.

On Thursday, practitioners held up banners and demonstrated the exercises along the route from Xi's hotel to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, where President Trump had his first meeting with Xi.

The banners on the way from Xi's hotel to Mar-a-Lago

Practitioners' banners read “Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong,” and “Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice.”

Three Main Goals

Washington D.C. Resident Lin Xiaoxu, a scientist at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, told correspondents that practitioners assembled there with three main goals.

“First, we want to tell the public and politicians that Falun Dafa is being unjustly persecuted in China. Second, we want President Xi to hear our voice, and end the persecution. And third, we hope that President Xi can take action and bring Jiang Zemin to justice.”

Lin Xiaoxu, from Washington D.C. and a scientist at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, joins demonstrations for Falun Gong during meetings Xi's meetings with Trump.

Lin also called upon President Trump to bring up human rights in addition to trade and other international issues during his conversations with Xi.

Lin said that Freedom House has collected 933 cases between 2014 and 2016, in which Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced for their belief.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. Many persecution cases were not recorded,” Lin said.

Lin also told the media that his family in China was threatened by the local police, before he left home for the event.

“They told my family members in China, that if I came to this event, my mother and I would have trouble next time we went back to China.”

“I hope that the persecutors know that their actions are recorded in history, and they will have to face the consequences if they insist on following Jiang Zemin's persecution policies.”

Yuan Qing, another practitioner from Tampa, called for help to rescue her mother, who was sentenced to six years in February for her belief in Falun Gong.

“Her health is suffering in the detention center, and the center does not allow my family members to visit her.”

Yuan Qing hopes that President Xi will pay attention to this, and release her mother and other jailed Falun Gong practitioners.

Western Practitioners of Falun Gong Speak Out

Denis Garcia from Georgia, 60, attended the event to call on both presidents to help stop the persecution. She said that practicing Falun Gong for the past 14 years has given her great health and the persecution should not be allowed to continue.

Dzima Amma, from New York, said she made the trip to Florida to tell President Xi that Falun Gong has had a positive impact on society.

She said her message to Xi is: “Please look at the practitioners in the States. You should not be afraid of Falun Gong.” She added, “I also want to tell President Trump that Chinese people are suffering for their belief, and the U.S. should help.”