Barcelona, Spain: Public Condemns Persecution of Falun Dafa During Event at Plaza Catalunya

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Barcelona, Spain, held a signature drive at Plaza Catalunya on October 29, 2022 to expose the brutality against Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Located in the city center adjacent to the old city, Plaza Catalunya attracts a large number of tourists. Many were interested in learning about Falun Dafa and the persecution. 

Tourists and local residents signed a petition on October 29, 2022 calling to end the suppression of Falun Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

A couple noticed a banner with the message: “EU Passed Resolution Condemning CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting Against Falun Gong,” and were curious to know more. A practitioner explained how the CCP has harmed people for decades through its numerous political campaigns while wiping out traditional Chinese culture. She further explained that this brutality is now directed against Falun Dafa and Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. 

The husband said, “Many politicians hardly do anything these days since they only care about their own interests. Will this petition work?” The practitioner explained that there are still good people in this world. “Plus, by acting on our conscience ourselves, we can also inspire others to do the same. When more people do the right thing, the situation will change,” she said. The couple agreed and both then signed the petition. 

To accommodate visitors from various countries, practitioners prepared informational materials in numerous languages. Tourists were shocked to learn how badly practitioners are mistreated in China for their faith, especially the CCP’s forced organ harvesting from living practitioners.

“How could this happen? We must stop this!” said one man. 

A young woman and her parents stopped by and said that they had been persecuted in China for practicing Christianity. She told how the police kept harassing them and threatened to confiscate their home and property. “The CCP is like a demon because it specifically targets good people. But those who have faith will not be intimidated,” the young woman said. She thanked practitioners for stepping forward and exposing the CCP’s cruelty. “You are doing the right thing and your courage will be blessed,” she added.

Two sisters from Morocco also stopped at the booth and talked with practitioners. The younger sister, a high school student in Barcelona, is currently working on a research paper related to human rights. Having heard about CCP’s suppression against Uyghurs previously, she was surprised to hear that the regime’s ruthless persecution of Falun Dafa is even worse. She plans to reference investigative reports by David Matas and David Kilgour in her paper [Mr. Matas and Mr. Kilgour did extensive research into the CCP’s forced organ harvesting of Falun Dafa practitioners] so that more people will learn about what is going on in China. 

Both sisters signed the petition urging a stop to the atrocity. “The Chinese people work very hard. Unfortunately, the totalitarian CCP regime has taken advantage of that and have acted like bullies around the world,” the older sister said. “It is time to bring this to an end.”

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.