California: Practitioners Participate in Redwood City Independence Day Parade

(Minghui.org) The largest Independence Day parade in northern California was held in Redwood City on July 4. Nearly 100 groups participated in this popular annual event, and 2019 marks its 81st year. Falun Dafa practitioners were once again invited to perform in the parade.

Falun Gong practitioners participate in the annual Independence Day Parade in Redwood City on July 4, 2019.People stop by the Falun Dafa booth to learn more about the spiritual discipline after the parade.

Parade Host: Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance Would Make the World a Better Place

George Devine, host of the Independence Day parade in Redwood City, California

George Devine has been the parade's host for three years. He praised the Falun Dafa entry and said, “Their uniforms are colorful. They are pleasant to the eyes and to the heart.”

He mentioned Falun Dafa's guiding principles, Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance, and said, “This is great! If everyone embraced these principles, the world would be a better place!”

Professor: People Should Oppose the Persecution

Marla Lowenthal, a visiting professor from a university in San Francisco, has taught in China. She often sees practitioners in community events in the bay area. “I've heard of Falun Dafa. I know they are brutally persecuted by the Chinese government. I also know that practicing Falun Dafa improves both one's mind and body,” she said. She added that people should oppose the persecution.

A Peaceful Energy Field

Monica, an event coordinator for a non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area, said she feels a peaceful energy surrounding the local exercise site.

Monica, an event organizer for a local non-profit organization, was happy to see practitioners in the parade again. She said she often sees practitioners doing the Falun Dafa exercises at a park near her home.

“Your exercise site has a strong and positive energy field. It’s comfortable and peaceful. I've been thinking about learning the exercise for a long time.”

Attorney: Communist Party is a Hazard to the World

Michael, an attorney from San Francisco, said that he knew a lot about Falun Dafa, the persecution, and why the communist regime is persecuting it. He said, “Because the Chinese Communist Party is a dictatorship, it doesn't allow people to have the freedom to think, so it persecutes religious beliefs. It just wants to maintain the regime. Actually, the Chinese Communist Party is a hazard to China as well as to the rest of the world.”