(Clearwisdom.net) Despite recent bouts of rain and grey skies, Saturday April 26 was beautifully sunny. Falun Gong practitioners in the UK held a parade through central London to commemorate the "April 25" Appeal. During the parade, practitioners handed out leaflets that told about Falun Gong and why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is persecuting such a peaceful and beneficial practice.

The parade began at the Chinese Embassy and moved through many of central London's main tourist areas, lasting over an hour. Heading the parade were banners reading "Falun Gong" and "The World Needs Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance." The banners were followed by a group of practitioners playing traditional Chinese waist drums. Although these drums are not part of the Falun Gong practice, they - like Falun Gong and self cultivation - are rooted deeply in Chinese culture. Many people who saw the parade enjoyed the display, as the drum beats resonated off London's tall and grand architecture.

Another section of the parade exposed the persecution that Falun Gong practitioners have suffered for the last nine years. April 25 is a date that Falun Gong practitioners commemorate every year. Nine years ago, on April 25, 1999, in order to appeal for justice for Falun Gong, around 10,000 practitioners went to Beijing to peacefully appeal and clarify the facts to the Chinese government. Discrimination and persecution against Falun Gong had been taking place, and practitioners requested the government to stop the unfair treatment.

Banners in the persecution section of the parade revealed that Falun Gong practitioners are being tortured in China. This section also had a group of practitioners dressed in white carrying placards with photographs of practitioners who have lost their lives at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party because they refused to give up their belief in Falun Gong. The photographs were surrounded by wreaths of flowers.

The parade finished in Trafalgar Square. Practitioners lined up the banners for the crowds of tourists to read, and then a press conference began. The speakers included Chairman of the European and UK Falun Dafa Associations Peter Jauhal, Vice-Chairman of the non-governmental organization Friends of Falun Gong John Dee, and Annie Yang, a Falun gong practitioner who was subjected to torture, wrongful imprisonment and other types of persecution in China before escaping to England. Annie talked about the human rights abuses that she suffered at the hands of the communist regime in China. Listeners were moved by her account of suffering.

Many people took leaflets and signed petitions calling for an end to the human rights atrocities against Falun Gong practitioners. After the speeches, the practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises and many people took pictures or shot videos of the demonstration. The splendid sunshine lasted the whole day while many people got the opportunity to learn more about Falun Gong and make their voice heard in calling for an end to the persecution against the practice.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200804/44096.html