Bulgaria: Bringing Falun Dafa to the Heart of Sofia

(Minghui.org) Practitioners from across Bulgaria gathered in the nation’s capital, Sofia, on October 7, 2023, for a day of activities to introduce Falun Dafa and raise awareness of the persecution.

In addition to sharing the mind and body benefits of practicing Falun Dafa with the people of Sofia, practitioners also told them how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted the spiritual discipline for 24 years.

They held their events in some of Sofia’s busiest areas, and many people were happy to show their support for practitioners by signing their petitions to end the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises in South Park on October 7. Many people read the display boards.

South Park is one of the biggest parks in Sofia. There are huge trees, walking paths, flower gardens, and places for different events. For over 15 years, practitioners have been gathering on a wide lawn adjacent to the park’s main entrance every day to do the exercises as a group.

At 9:00 a.m., practitioners from Sofia and other cities gathered at their usual location and did the five exercises. They set up banners so that passersby could read about what they were doing and join in if they wanted to learn the movements.

People talk with practitioners and learn about Falun Dafa and the CCP persecution.

Practitioners set up their information booth on the central walkway of the park near the fountain. Different types of banners, tables, a tent, and a specially designed pyramid with lots of information drew lots of interested passersby.

The practitioners also played a recording that complemented their display materials, and many people stopped and listened.

One young couple slowed down to learn more about the event. When they learned that the persecution has gone on for 24 years and involves the crime of live organ harvesting, they said they felt sad for practitioners in China. The young man asked if he could sign the petition to condemn the CCP since he was not Bulgarian, and both he and the woman signed.

One woman and her family signed the practitioners’ petition to condemn the CCP after learning about the 24-year-long persecution. When the woman learned more about Falun Dafa and its values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, she was interested in learning the exercises and asked for more information about the practice site.

Two teenagers listened to the practitioner’s account of the cruel injustice suffered by people who practice Falun Dafa in China. They shared this information with their mother and returned to sign the petition.

Support for Falun Dafa

At 4:30 p.m., the practitoners split into two groups and went to different locations in the heart of Sofia.

One group set up their information booth where Vitosha Boulevard crosses Solunska Street, a busy intersection for foot traffic. Vitosha Boulevard, better known as “Vitoshka,” is the main pedestrian and commercial street in the center of Sofia.

Introducing Falun Dafa in the center of Sofia

The practitioners had informational materials and two petitions for passersby to sign. One petition condemned the CCP for its numerous human rights abuses over the past century, including the persecution of Falun Dafa. The other asked the Bulgarian government to condemn the CCP’s forced organ harvesting from Falun Dafa practitioners and other prisoners of conscience, as well as take measures against cooperating with the CCP in forced organ harvesting operations.

Many passersby were unaware of the persecution of Falun Dafa in China and were surprised to learn about the sheer inhumanity of the methods used on practitioners.

One of them, Rumyana, was very moved after hearing about the persecution of practitioners in China. She said everyone should know about this atrocity that targets innocent people and told practitioners, “You have to stop these passersby, you have to shake these people so they can hear your story!”

Rumyana was happy to show her support and signed the petition condemning the CCP. She also offered to distribute informational flyers with the practitioners.

After she signed the petition, Rumyana took a photo with Didi, a practitioner.

Victoria, who teaches yoga, was intrigued by practitioners’ gentle movements as they did the exercises and stopped to watch. After hearing about how a peaceful practice like Falun Dafa is persecuted in China, she lamented. “Your practice is unique! It’s too bad that it is subjected to such injustice and cruelty in China.”

She also signed the petition condemning the CCP for its acts of violence.

Svetoslav was riding by on his bicycle when he noticed the practitioners’ booth. He sympathized with the practitioners in China facing persecution and signed both petitions.

Svetoslav signs both petitions.

Svetoslav said he admired practitioners and how they were able to calmly meditate in the crowded city center. “Practitioners are not caught up in life because they only follow the principles of the universe—Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” he said.