(Minghui.org) Practitioners in Helsinki participated in the Global Village Festival on May 25 and 26, 2024. They introduced Falun Dafa to event-goers and told them about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution.

Practitioners introduce Falun Dafa to visitors and tell them about the CCP’s persecution.

Many people were drawn to the graceful movements as practitioners did the exercises. They took flyers and learned more about the practice. Practitioners told people that Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) consists of five exercises, and teaches people to be good by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. The practice is widely recognized by the public. Within seven years (1992 to 1999), more than 100 million people in China were practicing, which exceeded the number of the CCP members at that time. Out of jealousy, the then CCP leader Jiang Zemin initiated the persecution on July 20, 1999, which continues to this day. Many practitioners were tortured to death. The CCP even sanctions organ harvesting from living practitioners for lucrative profit. After learning about the situation, many people signed the petition calling to end the persecution.

People sign the petition to end the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Many people said they had already heard of Falun Dafa and knew about the persecution. One gentleman said he had previously met practitioners at the Messu Education Fair. This time, he saw the practitioners’ booth from a distance, and walked directly to it and signed the petition. He also said that what the practitioners do is very important and more people should know about the CCP’s crimes. He also brought his friends over to sign the petition.

A passerby said that the CCP’s persecution was really terrible. He said that what the practitioners did was right, gave them a thumbs up, and expressed his hope that they would continue.

After talking to a practitioner and hearing about the physical and mental benefits of practicing Falun Dafa, a man asked for additional leaflets, saying that he wanted to introduce Falun Dafa to his friends.

Sugui from the Philippines lives in Helsinki with her family. She and her daughter went to the booth to sign the petition. She said that she couldn’t believe the Chinese government banned the practice of meditation, which is so beneficial to people’s health. She said people need to actively find inner peace, and the best way was by meditating.

When Ener from Turkey and Imraan from South Africa heard about the human rights issues in China, they immediately signed the petition. They explained that they have many Chinese friends and heard a lot about China. They thanked practitioners for raising awareness of the CCP’s persecution and human rights violations in China.

Ener (left) and Imraan (right) thanked the practitioners for telling people about the CCP’s human rights violations in China.

The principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance resonated with Hannu. A practitioner said that practitioners look inward and change themselves, and slowly the environment around them also changes. Hannu agreed because he said he also tried to be a good person. He signed the petition.

Hannu (middle) signs the petition.

A lady from Cyprus came to the booth and told practitioners that she was happy to meet practitioners again because she had seen their activities before. She was happy to sign the petition. After hearing how practitioners are persecuted in China, she said she felt sad, hugged the practitioners, and encouraged them to persevere and continue exposing the persecution.

Mire, a Finnish citizen, accepted a flyer and asked what was happening in China. When she saw the flyer describing the brutal persecution of practitioners in China in prison, she couldn’t help but shed tears and said how could the CCP be so evil to people who practice meditation. She told practitioners that her mother often meditated and it was hard to imagine such cruel persecution. When a practitioner gave her an orgami lotus flower with a bookmark that read, “The world needs Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” she said that she agreed with this statement and said that the world really needs these values now because people are no longer kind and do many evil things to each other. She said she felt sad that practitioners in China are being persecuted.

Mire talks with a practitioner

At the end of the first day, practitioners were about to head home. A Finnish man named Sakari told a practitioner that he and his friends watched videos about Falun Dafa, and he was happy to see the practitioners.

The practitioner gave him a flyer about Falun Dafa and with a link to the official Falun Dafa website. He happily took it, shook hands with the practitioner, and said he was happy to see practitioners and that he would go back to take a look. He returned to the booth the next day, happily greeted practitioners, and discussed Falun Dafa in depth with them.