December 10 was the International Human Rights Day. Falun Dafa practitioners held a whole day of activities in Vienna on December 7 to clarify the truth of Falun Gong. Practitioners from England, Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Taiwan, United States, and other areas participated in this event.
The winter in Vienna is cold with rain and snow, but the bad weather didn't deter us from having this event. At 10am, all practitioners gathered in the center of the city and started a large-scale group practice. Although rain and snow fell from time to time, the passers-by came in an endless stream. Our peaceful practice field, big banners, and informative posters attracted many people. The tour buses also contained many tourists from mainland China. We made a good use of the Chinese materials brought by Taiwan practitioners. We also held a press conference during the group practice.
At 1pm practitioners from all countries started an SOS parade across downtown. With the peaceful Dafa music, practitioners carried banners and posters, and slowly walked through this ancient city. This formed a bright scene in the city on such a cold and wet day.
It was Friday afternoon, and many people were walking in the downtown area. Practitioners distributed SOS flyers and truth-telling materials. Even five or six year-old young practitioners handed out Dafa materials--we didn't want to leave any predestined people behind. Along the way, we met many Chinese tourists and local Chinese people.
After three hours walk, we came to the Chinese Embassy in Austria to deliver an appeal letter. Since the Chinese Embassy refused to take the letter, an Austria Falun Gong practitioner read the letter in front of the Chinese Embassy. The Austrian police showed their sympathy for Falun Gong practitioners. They just couldn't understand why the Chinese Embassy would refuse to accept an appeal letter.
In the evening, practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the parliament building.