(Clearwisdom.net)

On December 18 and 19, Falun Dafa practitioners from European countries such as France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria etc., gathered in front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France. They practiced the exercises as a group, sent forth righteous thoughts, and called upon the EU to oppose the enactment of Article 23 in Hong Kong.

Officials and visitors going in and out the building were impressed by the peaceful scene when these practitioners did the Falun Gong exercises to make their petition outdoors, which was below zero degrees Celsius. Many parliament workers could see the serene practice directly from their office windows. Some practitioners had gone inside the building to clarify the truth to the parliament members in person. These practitioners also received friendly responses from parliament members who showed their support and encouraged us to persevere.

The European Falun Dafa Association held a press conference in the morning on December 19 in front of the building, expressing determined opposition to the Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong. Mr. Roger Helmer, a Member of the European Parliament from Great Britain, made a speech during the press conference. He voiced his opposition to the implementation of Article 23, calling upon the Chinese government to respect human rights and desist from persecuting Falun Gong.

Practitioners from Ireland, Hong Kong, Denmark, and the Netherlands spoke of the persecution that they and their families underwent in China. They stressed that persecution like this should not be extended to Hong Kong, and appealed to the EU to stop the enactment of Article 23.

The European Parliament passed the urgent resolution condemning Hong Kong's Article 23 legislation by a margin of 59 to one, with one abstaining, at 5:30 p.m. on the same day. The 59 votes represented 7 parties of the European Parliament.