(Minghui.org) Practitioners participated in the 21st Irvine Global Village Festival on October 8. They demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises, told people how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes the spiritual practice, and collected signatures on a petition to end these egregious human rights violations.

Practitioners participated in the 21^st Irvine Global Village Festival

The Irvine Global Village Festival originated from the efforts of a small group of community residents more than 20 years ago, and over the years has become the city’s most important annual civic event. Local government departments, non-governmental organizations and enterprises set up more than 170 booths to display the ethnic culture of more than 50 regions. Local groups performed on five stages, and approximately 10,000 people attended the event.

The practitioners’ stand was located in the Palm Court, where the cultures of various ethnic groups were displayed. Some practitioners demonstrated the exercises, some introduced Falun Dafa to visitors, and others collected signatures to demand an end to the CCP's persecution.

Christine Connor, who started practicing Falun Dafa 11 years ago, said, “Falun Dafa is based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We practice the exercises at three locations including Laguna Beach every Saturday and Sunday morning.”

Connor said that she first heard about the CCP's persecution of Falun Dafa, how practitioners in China were detained and tortured, but they still continued to practice. This made her want to learn why they were so steadfast. After looking into Falun Dafa, she decided to practice. She said that Falun Dafa changed her life, making her more compassionate and wanting to improve herself and be a better person. Practicing has also made her healthy and younger looking.

The practitioners also placed two banners on the lawn next to the main entrance of the park, and placed several oil paintings from the Art of Zhen Shan Ren Exhibition near the sidewalk. They also had petition forms and paper lotus flowers available on a table nearby.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.