(Minghui.org) On June 2 and 9, 2024, two Sunday mornings in a row, practitioners demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises and introduced the practice to people at Place de Bastille in Paris. They also raised awareness of the ongoing persecution in China and collected signatures on a petition to end the brutalities.

Place de Bastille, located in the 11^th district of Paris, is an important location in French history. In 1370, King Charles V built a fortress at Porte Saint-Antoine to defend the city. That building later became Bastille Prison. After it was destroyed, the site became Place de Bastille.

Many Parisians and tourists on their way to the market next to Place de Bastille passed by the practitioners’ information booth and were drawn to the graceful exercise movements and calm music and stopped to watch. After finding out about the persecution, they signed the petition to end it.

On June 2 and 9 practitioners did the exercises and raised awareness about the persecution in China at the Place de Bastille.

People sign the petition to end the persecution in China.

Alexandre Anjou, a bank consultant, frequently walks through Place de Bastille and sees different groups playing music. When he heard the Falun Dafa exercise music, he said, “This is the most beautiful music on Place de Bastille!” He thought Chinese civilization was the strongest civilization in the world and that it had a very rich heritage, just like the Chinese language, which is so different from most other languages.

Marie Moreau was astounded to hear that practitioners who live by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are persecuted in China and their organs are taken without their consent and sold for use in the transplant trade. After signing the petition she said, “Organ harvesting is terrifying. It is inhuman, unimaginable, no words can describe such terror. Such brutality is unbelievable; this is so serious!” She encouraged practitioners to keep doing what they do and hoped the persecution would end one day.

Ms. Abdolatif Salia, 74, said, “All persecution in this world must end. People are not born for this. As a mother, we should raise our children so that they are healthy and happy.”

Luzitu is a security guard in an apartment. He was angry to learn of the Chinese Communist Party’s crime of organ harvesting. He said, “We are all humans. They cannot do this—it is not acceptable! Taking people’s organs by force—that is worse than the way animals are treated. Yet people kept silent. This is not normal. Such things should not happen in this world. I oppose this.”

Roger Guillaume from central France said he used to manage a local medical organization. He thought Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance were fundamental values and they resonated with him.

Mohamed Kacem Khalifa said after signing the petition, “For me, my country, and the whole human race, this persecution must be stopped! One cannot take other people’s lives. This is bad! A person can do what he wants to do but there are limits. This is determined by God. Killing is not allowed. People come here to change their lives, to become a better being, to support our brothers and sisters in the whole world. Our goal is peace! We want peace!”