(Clearwisdom.net) On July 15-20, 2008, World Youth Day was held in Sydney Australia. Falun Gong practitioners took this opportunity to promote Falun Dafa and to expose the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China. The activities received wide support from society.
World Youth Day is one of the largest youth events in the world. As the host of World Youth Day 2008, the city of Sydney attracted hundreds of thousands of participants from around the world. This is the second largest event in this city after the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Truth-Clarification in Chinatown Calls for Justice and Conscience
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July 16 was a sunny day, and many people were in Sydney's Chinatown. Falun Gong practitioners were among the crowds with truth-clarifying display boards. They promoted the beauty of Falun Dafa and exposed the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China. The truth-clarification boards attracted many visitors, and people asked for more details and took printed materials. Some people couldn't understand why the the Chinese Communist Party wanted to persecute such a good exercise group. A practitioner told them that the Chinese Communist Party ruled the country with violence and lies, so it saw people who believed in "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance" as a threat to its power, and launched the persecution to eradicate Falun Gong. Many people who learned the truth signed their names on petition forms calling for an end to the persecution. Some groups took photos with Falun Gong practitioners.
At a truth-clarification table in Chinatown, many printed materials about Falun Gong around the world were displayed, as well as materials exposing the CCP's persecution. A large TV was playing a continuous video of Falun Gong practitioners being beaten by thugs hired by Chinese Communist Party agents. Many passersby watched the video. A man in his fifties said that even though he didn't know much about Falun Gong's philosophy, he believed everyone had the right to their beliefs. He was very upset about CCP using such rogue tactics toward Falun Gong practitioners, and asked what he could do to help. A practitioner invited him to sign his name to the petition form calling for an end to the persecution, and asked him to spread the truth to his friends and relatives.
International Art Show Touches People's Hearts
In a downtown gallery, the "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance International Art Show" was on display. The paintings depicted true experiences of Falun Gong practitioners. They displayed the beauty of Falun Dafa, the unbreakable belief of the practitioners in the truth, and the glorious deeds of practitioners validating Dafa with their lives.
People were touched by the stories behind the paintings after the host explained them and were shocked at the brutal persecution and tortures happening in China. Many people signed their names to support efforts to end the persecution.
People Support Falun Gong's Endeavor to End the Persecution
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Many Catholics attending the World Youth Day event said, "We support you. We will pray for you and you will succeed."
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Steve Xu is an Australian. He told Falun Gong practitioner Sophie that he was aware of the situation of Falun Gong practitioners. He believed that the reason why Falun Gong had been persecuted for nine years was that Chinese people don't have basic freedoms and rights. He wished the Chinese people would have the rights of belief and speech, and that Chinese reporters could freely report the true happenings to let Chinese people see the free world.
Mr. John Deller is a spokesperson for the New South Wales Falun Dafa Association. While he was distributing truth-clarification materials at the World Youth Day Center, Ms. Surowice, a reporter from Radio Lublin of Poland, interviewed him. She asked why Falun Gong was persecuted by the CCP. Mr. Deller told her that the CCP is a dictatorship in China, and the Chinese people have no freedom of belief. Falun Gong is not the only practice being persecuted. Many religious groups are persecuted in China too, including the Catholics and Christians. "During World Youth Day, we share the freedom and belief with all the people with a belief in the world. At the same time, we want the world to know the truth of the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong." Deller said, "We believe when people learn the truth, they will step up to stop the persecution. When the evil has no place to hide in any country, the persecution in China can no longer exist."
