(Clearwisdom.net) On April 25, Falun Gong practitioners from Ottawa held a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy, commemorating the peaceful appeal 11 years ago and calling for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong.
Mr. Li Xun, the chair of the Falun Dafa Association in Canada, stated that Falun Gong practitioners' solid belief in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" has not changed in the last 11 years in spite of the brutal persecution.
Ms. Li was one of the appealers 11 years ago. She said: "We were trying to clarify the truth of Falun Gong to the government. Eleven years ago, I felt that we were mistreated and I had anger. But now, I am more calm. I realized that many people who have been involved in the persecution of Falun Gong have been deceived by the government too. I feel sad for them. Now, I don't hate them. I feel that we should do better to clarify the truth and bring them hope."
Mr. Li Xun said: "What practitioners have done in last 11 years is to clarify the truth of Falun Gong. Eleven years ago, few people knew about Falun Gong, but now many citizens and each level of government in Canada support Falun Gong and condemn the persecution. We have collected 500,000 signatures condemning the persecution. Last year, the Parliamentary Friends of Falun Gong was set up by a few Canadian MPs. All of those supporters are helping to stop the persecution."
Ms. Li said: "Many Chinese people also have seen who is righteous and who is evil. Due to practitioners' efforts of clarifying the truth, many Chinese have quit the Communist Party."
Background:
On April 25, 1999, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners in China gathered outside the State Council Appeals Office to demand their basic rights of belief and the immediate release of 45 fellow practitioners who had been unlawfully arrested. Though as a result of the appeal the Chinese Communist regime promised to protect the practitioners' rights and released the arrested practitioners, three months later, the regime started a nationwide persecution to "eliminate Falun Gong." The brutal persecution has continued for nearly 11 years.
