Netherlands: Public in Utrecht Supports Practitioners’ Efforts to End the Persecution of Falun Dafa

(Minghui.org) Practitioners held an event in Utrecht’s city center on June 8 and June 14, 2025 to raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa in China. They handed out flyers and answered questions from the public about the practice, and the persecution that has continued for more than two decades.

Many passersby stopped by throughout the day to learn more about Falun Dafa and its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. The atmosphere was warm and peaceful, and the practitioners’ calm demeanor drew the attention of passersby. Many people signed a petition calling to end the persecution.

“I had no idea this was still happening,” one person said after reading about the persecution in China on one of the display boards. “This is really unjust. People should be free to practice their beliefs.”

People read the information about the persecution in China.

Many visitors stopped and talked with the practitioners. Several expressed admiration for their non-violent approach and the universal values that Falun Dafa promotes.

People signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution.

“I think it is important to speak out when human rights are being violated,” one person said after signing the petition.

Two young men did the second exercise with practitioners. They said they were happy to see practitioners peacefully meditating and asking for help to stop the persecution. Both men signed the petition. One said, “I love what you are doing!”

Two men learned the exercises.

Children also learned the exercises.

Language Teacher: “I’m proud of you.”

Madam Ilse, a language teacher in Belgium, and her daughter signed the petition while they were sightseeing in the city center. She was appalled by the CCP’s forced organ harvesting, and said, “It’s terrible! It is unbelievable! I’m proud of you that you tell people about this. I hope this will stop in the future. I wish you good luck!”

Madam Ilse and her daughter from Belgium signed the petition.

Tourists Hakan Kayis and Seray Kartal also signed the petition. They condemned the CCP’s persecution, and the brutality against practitioners.

“All lives matter. This is unacceptable and not good what they [the CCP] are doing! So we support you doing this and hope the persecution will end,” Kartal said.

The two also said that the moral values that Falun Dafa emphasizes are shared by every country. “You need to be human to see these values as good. If you don’t see these values as good then you are not human. We will tell our families what we learned, and to sign the petition and support this,” Kayis said.

Falun Dafa Should Be Practiced Around the World

Other people praised Falun Dafa’s values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and said these values would benefit people and society.

Gijs Koster, an aircraft engineer for the Royal Dutch Army, said he was already aware of the Chinese regime’s human rights violations against its own people. “We should reject the Chinese Communist Party. This [persecution] is genocide. This is not good and should be stopped,” he said. He also said Falun Dafa’s guiding principles, “would be truly something very good” for the people of China.

Two young students, Maran ten Brink and Giris Looukili, expressed dismay that practitioners who follow these values are being persecuted in China.

Maran ten Brink (right) and Giris Looukili (left)

“This very sad and horrible! We want more people to know what is happening in China and that they should stop this. People should have their freedom. Here in the Netherlands we enjoy this freedom [freedom of religion], but for this, [Falun Gong practitioners] are killed in China,” Maran said.

“This is certainly something which should be practiced around the whole world,” Giris said after signing the petition.