(Minghui.org) More than 100 Falun Dafa practitioners participated in Melbourne's annual Australia Day parade to celebrate the national holiday on January 26, 2020.
Falun Dafa practitioners took a group photo to wish Master Li Hongzhi a Happy Chinese New Year.
Australia Day on January 26, 2020, fell on the second day of January on the Chinese lunar calendar. After the parade, Falun Dafa practitioners took a group photo to wish Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, a Happy Chinese New Year.
The Falun Dafa procession was led by the Tian Guo Marching Band and followed by a colorful float, fan dancers, and practitioners demonstrating the exercises.
The Falun Dafa information booth at a park in downtown Melbourne on Australia Day
“The power of faith and a righteous way in the human world”
Supervisor of the Chinese Democratic Movement Melbourne Alliance Mr. Gao Jian
Mr. Gao Jian, supervisor of the Chinese Democratic Movement Melbourne Alliance, was very happy to see the Falun Dafa procession in the parade and especially happy to see so many Western Falun Gong practitioners.
“I think that now, with how the communist regime has treated China with the Wuhan coronavirus, is the best time to promote Falun Dafa, the best opportunity, to let people see the power of faith and see a righteous way in human world,” he said.
He said that Falun Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are very important universal principles in today's world. “I hope that more people will study Falun Dafa and also read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. Under the current circumstances, I believe that more and more mainland Chinese people will awaken,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition Party: “I was very pleased to see Falun Dafa”
Honorable Michael O’Brien, MP, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Leader of the Opposition Party, Leader of the Liberal Party
MP and leader of the Liberal Party, Honorable Michael O’Brien watched the parade from the platform with other elected officials and dignitaries. He said he was pleased to see the different community groups celebrating Australia Day together. “It was part of making this country great, where people from all over the world came here and built a better society, and we are celebrating this today,” he said.
MP O'Brien complimented the Falun Dafa group’s beautiful float, colorful costumes and the Tian Guo Marching Band's performance. “It is terrific. I think it is wonderful to see so many different cultures and religious groups coming out; as in Victoria, we don’t shut down religions, we support freedom of religion, freedom of religious practice, so I was very pleased to see Falun Dafa,” he said.
“The music is fantastic”
Kerry (left), a lecturer at RMIT University, and Jazmyn, a student at RMIT
Kerry, a lecturer at RMIT University, complimented the beautiful colors of the Falun Gong group. She said the parade was held on a lovely day with lovely weather. “It is really good to have everybody here. The band is great. The music is fantastic,” she said. Jazmyn, a student at RMIT, added, “I can feel the energy, it was amazing. It was really good. The band is very good, I like the music.”
“Appreciate their efforts”
Roman and Evangeline Francisco
Roman Francisco and Evangeline Francisco, who are originally from the Philippines, thanked Falun Dafa practitioners for their efforts to promote Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance to the world. “I really appreciated their efforts. They have my favorite color. I notice they are a multicultural group, very good,” Roman said.
“The persecution is wrong”
Richard Blair signed a petition to stop the Chinese regime's forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience in China.
Richard Blair, who works at a school in Geelong, said he couldn’t take his eyes away from the Falun Dafa group. “Out of all the performances, this was the best float for me, the best performance group. All of the parade groups are good, but this stands out.”
He explained that he signed the petition because Falun Gong practitioners put forth great effort to promote important values. “I am very passionate about what these people do. I want to support it,” he said. “I want to see that people in China can perform what they performed here today. The government of China should not send people to jail because of doing this Falun Dafa. For me, that is wrong.”
