Germany: We Can Stop It If We Unite to Take Action

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held an information day event in Essen, the central city in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia, on July 12, 2025.

Practitioners demonstrated the exercises, explained what Falun Dafa is, and protested the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa.

The event drew a large number of people who wanted to learn about the issue. Many people signed the petition calling for an end to the CCP’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from Falun Dafa practitioners.

Falun Dafa practitioners in Germany held an information day event in Essen on July 12. They set up a booth and demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises.

Pactitioners’ event in Essen on July 12 attracted people’s attention.

Despite the heat, Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrated the exercises accompanied by the peaceful exercise music. The harmonious atmosphere touched passersby, and many slowed their pace to read the information displayed at the booth.

Local practitioners said they’ve met all sorts of people during their events at this location over the years. When people hear about Falun Dafa, especially when they learn that it teaches people to be good by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and thus benefits society, many smile and express their approval.

“The More People That Sign the Petition, the Better”

Germans usually do not sign petitions casually. That didn’t seem to be the case at the Falun Dafa booth, however. After reading the banners, some people walked straight up to the booth to ask for informational materials or to sign the petition calling for an end to the CCP’s forced organ harvesting.

Christine was one of them. When she saw the banner that showed a photo of a Falun Dafa practitioner’s body after his organs had been harvested by the CCP, she immediately wanted to sign the petition.

“This is totally inhumane. This should not be allowed to happen. I support you all,” she said. She then called her good friend over to sign the petition, too, saying that the more people who support practitioners, the better.

A quiet young girl stood beside the crowd, waiting to sign the petition. When her turn came, she said firmly, “I want to sign all the petitions here.” A practitioner gave her a small origami lotus flower keepsake with “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” printed on it. The girl exclaimed, “This is great. I want to keep it forever.”

Some people said they were seeing a Falun Dafa event for the first time. They either paused to watch or asked for materials to read. Many were initially indifferent and just looked at the displays, but after understanding the issue, they were ready to extend their support.

A middle-aged woman who came to the booth looked at the petition form on the table and said that she did not want to sign it, that she wanted to read about it first. A practitioner talked to her about the CCP’s defamation and persecution of this group of people who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and that this is still happening in China today. The woman looked appalled and signed the petition right away.

“We Can Stop It If We Work Together to Take Action”

Meriana works in a shop in the center of Essen. She said that she had learned about the persecution in China at a previous Falun Dafa event. She had read displays and signed the petition at that event, too. Although she had to rush to work, she made time to talk to a practitioner to share her worries about the situation in China.

When she heard that the CCP regime had already spread propaganda defaming Falun Dafa to Europe and even Germany, carrying out transnational repression, Meriana said firmly, “I feel that we should do more. We can stop it if we work together to take action.”

An elderly man stopped at the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting” banner and seemed deep in thought. He told a practitioner that he thought the world was really bad now. “The Creator is coming and he will end all this,” he said. A practitioner agreed and said, “Yes, so we must position ourselves well before that happens.” The man was intrigued by that, and he signed the petition calling for an end to the CCP’s forced organ harvesting from Falun Dafa practitioners.

The event attracted people of various nationalities, so practitioners had materials in different languages prepared, including Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Filipino. Many people asked for details about practice sites and expressed interest in learning the Falun Dafa exercises.

Essen, located in west Germany, used to be a coal mining town. Now it is a major economic center, where several large companies have their headquarters. It has a prosperous commercial district that draws people from surrounding regions to shop.

The pedestrian street is always crowded with people during the day, and local Falun Dafa practitioners do the exercises and distribute flyers to tell people about the practice on this main street every Saturday. They have done this for over a decade, such that it has become a sight in the city center.