(Minghui.org) Practitioners gathered at Thornton A. Sullivan Park in Everett, Washington state on June 24, 2023. They demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises, introduced the practice, and talked to people about the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa in China. They distributed more than 100 handmade paper lotus flowers and those who received them were happy and touched.

It rains a lot in Seattle, but the sun shone brightly that day and the park was crowded with people enjoying the scenic views.

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises at the Thornton A. Sullivan Park in Everett, Washington.

Demonstrating the fifth exercise, the meditation.

A practitioner distributes information about Falun Dafa and lotus flowers.

Aliya, a local resident said that it was her first time encountering Falun Dafa and she wanted to learn more about it. She was very touched when she learned how practitioners in China persist in practicing the exercises and spreading the truth about Falun Dafa despite the ongoing persecution.

Mr. Augusto, who was visiting Seattle, eagerly asked where the nearest practice site was. He was very happy when a practitioner gave him the online link to the free instructional website so he could learn the exercises and more about Falun Dafa.

Selena who works in Everett said that she never heard about Falun Dafa. She was interested in learning the exercises after watching practitioners perform them. Practitioners gave her information about Falun Dafa and gave her the online link to the introductory website about Falun Dafa. She said that she would look into it and also tell her friends and family about the practice.

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.