Issued by Clearwisdom Net

 July 1, 2005 marked the 138^th anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada. Numerous activities were held in Toronto to celebrate Canada Day. The Falun Dafa Association of Toronto was also invited to take part in two grand parades in East York and Scarborough, respectively. Their performances were warmly received.

Falun Gong practitioners' procession

Waist drum troupe

Falun Gong practitioners' procession included a Tang Dynasty drum troupe, a Falun Gong exercise demonstration troupe, a traditional Chinese dance team, and a waist drum troupe. The practitioners exhibited the graceful and unique and joyful traditional Chinese art performances and showcased the beauty and vastness of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

Local government officials including Janel Pavis and Case Ootes attended the parade and cheered and applauded the Falun Gong practitioners. They cheered along with the spectators, calling out, "Falun Gong is good!"

East York is a community where many Chinese people reside. A Western practitioner said with emotion, "I feel so happy to see so many Chinese people here smile at the practitioners and watch their performances. When we came here to join the parade several years ago, because of the Chinese Communist regime's hate propaganda, those people looked at us with anger or were afraid of communicating with us. Through our persistent truth-clarification over the past more than five years, more and more people have realized who we are, and the severe persecution against Falun Gong."

A western woman said, "Their (Falun Gong practitioners') performance is so wonderful! It is really ridiculous that the Chinese Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong." She signed a postcard calling for the rescue of children orphaned in the persecution of Falun Gong.

There is an even higher ratio of Chinese residents in Scarborough. A practitioner who was in charge of filing the application to participate in the parade said that she missed the deadline for the application. However, the parade organizer phoned her and asked, "Your performance is unique and has been quite warmly received. Why don't you apply to take part this year?"

This practitioner told a story about how she got to the parade venue. She asked two police officers for directions. One officer saw her shirt with the words, "Falun Gong" and asked, "What is Falun Gong?" The other officer came over and patted his shoulder, saying, "Aren't you aware of Falun Gong?" Then he explained to the first officer what Falun Gong was. However, the first officer was not satisfied and asked the practitioner for more information. She then gave him a deeper introduction to Falun Gong and the persecution in China. He immediately requested to sign the petition in support of the efforts against the persecution.

Young practitioners from the Minghui School were dressed in bright-colored costumes and performed dances. Their graceful performance is always warmly received. They also went to several local communities to perform for the residents, and their performances were highly praised.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/7/3/105368.html

 "What on the earth are you doing? Release her immediately!" exclaimed two elderly German ladies. In front of them was a "policewoman" with a Chinese police officer's uniform using an electric baton to torture a woman. The woman was tied up and her body was covered in blood and wounds. Every time the electric baton hit her face, her whole body trembled and she groaned with pain. The scene shocked many passers-by who stopped to take a look.

Reenacting the torture suffered by Ms. Gao Rongrong in front of the Chinese Consulate in Munich

Falun Gong practitioners explained to the two ladies and the surrounding audience that this was only a simulated reenactment, with the purpose of exposing the torture suffered by female Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong. Their purpose to help more people know about the ongoing brutal persecution of those who practice Falun Gong in China. Practitioners took the opportunity to tell people that the torture of Falun Gong practitioners is occurring every minute in China and that the methods used are many times more brutal than what was displayed here. Many people eagerly accepted the informational materials about Falun Gong. People also signed the petition supporting the Falun Gong practitioners' appeal for an immediate end to the persecution.

The above photos depict the scene outside the Chinese Consulate in Munich on June 26. It was also the first time that Falun Gong practitioners held an anti-torture exhibition at the Chinese Consulate in Munich. The exhibition simulated Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong's suffering of seven hours of continuous electric shock torture by the Chinese police, which left her face horribly disfigured.

June 26 was United Nations Day in Support of Torture Victims. Practitioners in Munich and nearby areas gathered at the Chinese Consulate to protest against the six-year campaign of genocide and the use of hundreds of brutal torture methods against innocent Falun Gong practitioners. They demanded that China stop the persecution immediately. Practitioners also displayed banners reading, "Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice," "The Chinese Communist Party Openly Carries Out a Policy of Murder, Gao Rongrong was brutally killed on the 16th of June 2005" and other messages, in both German and Chinese. They also displayed Gao Rongrong's photo and posters showing the wide spread of Falun Gong around the world, as well as high-quality prints of oil paintings by Falun Gong practitioners which further expose the tortures used against practitioners in China.

Gao Rongrong, who was brutally killed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) last week, suffered terribly before her death. Her face was continuously shocked with high-voltage batons for seven hours by police officers Tang Yuebao and Jiang Shaohua. As a result, her face was horribly disfigured. When this news and the before and after photos of the torture reached the outside world, the world's people were taken aback. Faced with the worldwide condemnation, not only did the CCP not change its brutal torture policy, they went even further and killed Gao Rongrong. Such blatant disregard for the law and human rights is an open challenge to the dignity and conscience of the whole of humanity.

For six years, in order to eliminate Falun Gong, the CCP has used an entire nation's resources to carry out former CCP leader Jiang Zemin's policy of "Defaming their reputation, bankrupting them financially and destroying them physically." Tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have been facing the Chinese regime's constant threats, brainwashing, arrest, the fear of and the reality of being detained in forced labor camps, prisons, mental hospitals and extreme torture. The whole purpose of this brutal and nationwide persecution is to force Falun Gong practitioners to give up their belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance."

The photos and evidence provided by practitioners' personal experiences, as well as that of their relatives and friends, all indicate that the methods used by the CCP against Falun Gong practitioners are extremely brutal, incorporating both ancient and modern forms of torture and persecution. Three recently-defected Chinese officials in Australia have exposed the bloody persecution of Falun Gong practitioners with their own first-hand experiences and material evidence.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/6/29/105115.html

 Around 11 a.m. on July 1, a grand parade was held in Montreal to celebrate Canada Day which marked the 138^th anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada. Canadian people from multicultural and multinational backgrounds joined the parade. The Falun Gong practitioners' entry drew great attention.

Falun Gong practitioners' procession

Falun Gong practitioners' procession

This year, several Asian groups, including Indonesian, Philippines, Turkish, Japanese and three Chinese groups took part in the parade to exhibit their culture and celebrate Canada Day.

Lotus flower dance

Waist drum troupe

Over the past several years, Falun Gong practitioners have frequently appeared in the Canada Day parades with their unique exercise demonstration and traditional dance and waist drum performances. Through their performances, practitioners present the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, and bring the beauty of Falun Gong to people.

Exercise demonstration

Exercise demonstration

The Falun Gong practitioners' procession was the longest one in the parade. Their orderly exercise demonstration troupe, joyful waist drum troupe and elegant dance performance drew great attention from the audience. People eagerly took photos. In particular, some Chinese people who have gotten rid of the fear brought on by the Chinese Communist regime's hate propaganda, happily took pictures of the Falun Gong practitioners' procession. Some Chinese people even gave the thumbs up sign and applauded the practitioners. Their faces shone with the smile of pride of being Chinese. All along the parade route, the practitioners' procession was warmly received. People continuously applauded toward the practitioners. Some people copied the practitioners' exercise movements. The scene was quite joyful. 

A spectator copying Falun Gong exercise movement

When Falun Gong practitioners exercise demonstration troupe, waist drum troupe and the dance team passed by, a couple from Toronto who came to Montreal for vacation told this reporter that they knew about Falun Gong as well as the ban in China. They said that China is now lack of democracy and is currently causing Taiwan trouble. The couple said that they love peace and would like to help Falun Gong to stop the persecution.

A new Chinese immigrant said, "I watched the parade and I saw Falun Gong practitioners' procession."

An Indonesian immigrant said: "Canada is a passionate country which welcomes immigrants from across the world. Today is Canada Day, I'm very happy to join today's celebration. What is not so good is that young people today don't believe in God. This is not good. I knew about Falun Gong which brings us peace. However, I knew that it is persecuted in China. I wish God could help them (Falun Gong practitioners)."

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/7/3/105370.html

 From June 2 to June 17, 2005, the "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition was held for the first time in Melbourne, Australia. The paintings were exhibited in the Victoria Artists Association art gallery and at an exhibition hall in a downtown telecommunication building.

Representative from Amnesty International Robyn Kilpatrick giving a speech

Artist Ms. Zhang Cuiying, who has suffered severe persecution in China because of her practice of Falun Gong, delivering a speech

At the opening ceremony, a representative from Amnesty International, Ms. Robyn Kilpatrick, and artist Ms. Zhang Cuiying, who has suffered severe persecution in China due to her practice of Falun Gong, each delivered a speech. Ms. Kilpatrick said, "These paintings vividly depict the persecution suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China. We are shocked upon viewing them. In particular, in this painting entitled, 'Why', that little boy's puzzled eyes lead us adults to ask ourselves, 'Why?' 'Why is this kind of brutal thing still occurring?'" Artist Zhang Cuiying highly praised these paintings. She believed that the paintings displayed a very high standard of artistic skill, and the inner meaning of each work was profound.

Many visitors were deeply moved by the rich connotation and the real stories behind each of the paintings. Some shed tears when viewing them. Several Falun Gong practitioners voluntarily came to guide visitors through the exhibit, to help them understand the meaning of each painting. Many visitors and staff members in the gallery learned about Falun Gong and the facts of the persecution in China. At the closing ceremony, the film "Sandstorm," which exposes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, was featured. A number of media outlets including the Ages, NTDTV, Sound of Hope Radio Network and the Epoch Times reported on the art exhibition.

"Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition

The hall in the downtown telecommunication building is a busy place, where constant streams of people come and go. The exhibition attracted numerous visitors. People would come into the building to view the art exhibition before or after work, at lunch break or during the time when they waited for buses outside the building. Lots of people in the city and suburbs received flyers about the art exhibition. Managers from all the companies in this building received fine invitation letters with lotus flowers. They were all very supportive of the art exhibition. A printing company was very supportive and offered to print flyers free of charge.

A visitor saw with his celestial eye that Buddha and God's light shone from the paintings to the world. Another person had a strong desire to view the paintings as soon as he received the flyer. He took a day off and stayed at the exhibition hall for the whole day. A young woman downtown was suddenly drawn by a strong power to come view the paintings. At that moment, practitioners were setting up the paintings. She became the first visitor. She said, "These paintings really shocked me. It is too terrible that the torture is still happening now." She added, "But I noticed that these Falun Gong practitioners are really extraordinary. Although suffering from such tortures, their expression is so peaceful, kind and steadfast." After listening to practitioners' explanation about Falun Gong and the persecution, the young woman immediately asked how she could become as good as practitioners. A practitioner recommended a Falun Gong website to her and told her that she could read the Falun Gong books online. She also told the young woman about local practice sites. The visitors were all very happy to listen to the practitioners' stories.

The "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition was very effective in exposing the evil, and made the evil very fearful. As a result, pressure was put on people in charge of the telecommunication building, demanding that practitioners remove some of the paintings depicting the tortures. Their excuse was that some people would not want to see such cruel scenes. The practitioners realized the severity of the issue and strengthened their righteous thoughts. They clarified the facts to the building managers and collected signatures from staff members in the building and people passing by. Many people expressed their support for the exhibition as soon as they learned the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution. Some even directly went to speak with the building manager and requested that she not remove the paintings. During this process, more people learned about the truth of Falun Gong. Although the building manager used the excuse of pressure from above and did not approve the practitioners putting some of the paintings back on the display boards, she did not demand that practitioners remove the paintings outside the exhibition hall. She silently agreed that practitioners could put those paintings against the wall to display to visitors. Using this situation as an opportunity, practitioners explained the cruelty of the Chinese communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong and how the persecution has been extended to countries outside China.

The "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition will continue to be held in Melbourne and other areas in Australia.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/7/3/105366.html