Mannheim, Germany: People Sign a Petition to End the Persecution of Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners from the Rhine-Neckar region of Germany held an event across from the market square in Mannheim on March 25, 2023. They introduced Falun Gong to passersby and demonstrated the exercises. They also raised awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong and collected signatures on a petition to stop the CCP's human rights abuses.

Mannheim is a university city and the cultural and economic center of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. On the day of the event, many people who were out shopping stopped to talk with practitioners to learn more. After hearing that good people who practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance were persecuted in China for their faith—and that some were even killed for their organs—people were shocked. Many of them wanted to sign the petition to call for an end to the persecution.

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises in Mannheim on March 25.Passersby talk with practitioners and learn more about Falun Gong.People sign the petition calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong.

I’ll Tell People About the Persecution

Ms. Grün talked with practitioners for quite some time. She said, “The topic of religious belief has fascinated me for a long time. Today I heard about what is happening in China [the persecution of Falun Gong] and I feel terrible.”

Ms. Grün

“The media seldom reports news about the persecution of Falun Gong these days. When I go back, I will try my best to tell the people I know about these things,” she said.

After hearing that the principles of Falun Dafa are Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, Ms. Grün said, “That is wonderful and is what we need. If we follow these principles to deal with troublesome trifles every day, it will help, and our lives will be better. I would love to try it.”

A practitioner recommended Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa, to Ms. Grün, who said she would definitely read it.

Ms. Helge said that her daughter had lived in Shanghai for eight years and taught in a German school, so Ms. Helge had gone to China several times to visit her. Seeing that the activities of Falun Gong practitioners were related to China, she wanted to know more.

After learning about the persecution, Ms. Helge said, “This [organ harvesting] must be stopped. We traveled around China, and the Chinese are very helpful. But I must be honest, there are still many real problems there.

“Organ donation is voluntary and must be approved. Human beings cannot be slaughtered arbitrarily,” she said.

Young practitioner Jonas participated in the event. He said it was important to raise awareness of the persecution.

Zoia, who is 90, participated in the event. She is from Ukraine but now lives with her daughter in Germany because of the war.

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 24 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.