France: Public Condemns Decades-long Persecution of Falun Gong During Events in 10 Cities

(Minghui.org) On July 20, 1999 the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated a nationwide persecution in China to eradicate Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. Every year since then, Falun Gong practitioners around the world hold events to tell people about the persecution and call for its end. In mid-July, 2022, French practitioners held rallies in Paris and another nine cities and regions of France to expose the brutal persecution implemented by the Chinese Communist Party. They called on people to see the true nature of the CCP and join the efforts to end the persecution. 

Rallies were held in the following cities and areas: Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Caen, Colmar, Bordeaux, Marseille, Martinique, Guadeloupe and La Réunion. 

Politicians Speak Out in Support of Falun Gong 

Olivier Faure, the head of the French Socialist Party and a Member of the National Assembly of France, expressed his support for Falun Gong in a television interview.

Olivier Faure, the head of the French Socialist Party and a Member of the National Assembly of France, expressed his support for Falun Gong during a television interview.

Mr. Faure said, “We Westerners are also shocked when we hear that Falun Gong practitioners and others are being persecuted. I hope in China and around the world, people will have the right to express their religious beliefs, live freely and peacefully, and the universal values of human rights will be respected around the world.”

Jiovanny William, a Martinique Member of the National Assembly of France, said, “I am against any form of persecution. I support Falun Gong. The persecution must stop!”

Jiovanny William, a Martinique Member of the National Assembly of France, said, “I support Falun Gong. The persecution must stop!”

Rally in Front of the Chinese Embassy in Paris

On the afternoon of July 16, practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Paris to condemn the persecution. Mr. Tang Hanlong, President of the Falun Dafa Association of France, gave a speech in which he exposed how practitioners have been persecuted by the CCP over the past 23 years. He called on people to see the true nature of the CCP and work together to stop the persecution.

Mr. Tang Hanlong, President of the Falun Dafa Association of France, addressed the rally

Dr. Harold King, the French representative of Doctors Against Live Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), spoke at the rally, revealing that the CCP harvests organs from Falun Gong practitioners while they are alive. He described other crimes against humanity committed by the Party against Falun Gong practitioners.

Dr. Harold King, the representative of Doctors Against Live Organ Harvesting (DAFOH) in France, addressed the rally.

On the afternoon of July 16, Falun Gong practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Paris to protest the persecution in China. 

Claire, a violinist who passed by the event, talked at length with practitioners. She was shocked by the extent of the persecution and said, “The forced organ harvesting is horrible. Of course something has to be done, of course we have to protest. Congratulations to Falun Gong practitioners! They are doing a great job."

She added, “In school we learned about Hitler and the Nazis, but the CCP is more evil and has caused more deaths – tens of millions of deaths.”

Gregory Bruno, a manager in the financial industry, was shocked by the CCP’s brutal persecution of Falun Gong. He said, “The CCP is ruled by force, lacks democracy and transparency on what is happening in China, and people are not free to choose the future for either their country or themselves.”

Signing Petitions in the Châtelet Neighborhood in Paris 

On July 17, practitioners demonstrated the exercises and held a rally in the Châtelet neighborhood in Paris to tell people about the persecution. They also held a petition drive to give people an opportunity to call for its end.

Practitioners held events on July 17 in the Châtelet neighborhood of Paris.

Rudy, a hotel service supervisor who’d learned about Falun Gong before, spoke to practitioners in the Châtelet neighborhood on the afternoon of July 17. He said, “This [forced organ harvesting] is abnormal and inhuman, regardless of the culture or beliefs of the people. For the sake of making a profit, carrying out such brutality is a crime against humanity. It is murder! It must stop! People have to wake up. It is imperative that this has to stop! People need to be informed and not think that just what the TV and media say is true.”

He added, “It is common knowledge that good deeds are rewarded but evil is punished. It might take a long time to eliminate this evil, but we shouldn’t give up, as there will be a moment of awakening of consciousness coming.”

Rudy encouraged practitioners to obtain as many signatures as possible to stop this hidden crime against humanity – “this shameful and shady act.” He concluded by adding that it was wonderful that Falun Gong practitioners were doing this in France and awakening people's consciousness. “It’s important to know that it’s not like this is something happening [only] in China and it will never happen here. There’s a good chance that one day the same thing will happen here."

People Condemn the Persecution During Event in the Port of Saint-Paul, Réunion Island, France

Practitioners clarify the truth in Saint-Paul, Réunion Island, France

Practitioners in the port of Saint-Paul on the French island of La Réunion held activities on Saturday morning, July 16 to tell people about the CCP’s crimes. Through this event, many people learned about the cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

The residents of Saint-Paul were deeply shocked to learn how Falun Gong practitioners in China are persecuted, and were appalled by the CCP’s atrocities.

People read the display boards telling how the CCP suppressed Falun Gong and many signed the petition calling to end the persecution. They also wanted to request that their local government end the twinning relationship between the Réunion Island region and the city of Tianjin in China.

A reporter from the Réunion Island Daily News interviewed practitioners and published an article about the event the next day.

Toulouse Residents Moved by the Truth

Falun Gong event in Place Charles de Gaulle, Toulouse

Practitioners clarified the facts and collected signatures on a petition at Charles de Gaulle Square in Toulouse on July 16.

Clarisse, a young nurse, stopped to read the display boards and then signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China. The petition will be sent to the council members and senators of the Toulouse Municipality and Haute-Garonne Province.

She photographed the display boards to share with members of her social media group. She wished to share the information with the public and said she was interested in learning how to practice Falun Gong.

A woman who said she’d visited the booth last year, came back and asked for a few more flyers to distribute to her acquaintances. Before leaving, she told the practitioners, “You are doing a wonderful job!”

Among the many people who stopped by, one man had a long conversation with a practitioner. He said he had never heard of Falun Gong before, and upon hearing about it today, he was very moved by Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. He was shocked by the persecution taking place in China. The man thanked practitioners for giving him a copy of the Minghui Journal and a small lotus flower.