(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners’s contingent in the Independence Day Parade in Corona, California, on July 4, 2024, featured dancing celestial maidens and practitioners demonstrating the exercises. Over 4,000 spectators lined the parade route.

Practitioners in the Independence Day Parade in Corona, California

After the Pledge of Allegiance, the Dawn Patrol Airshow signaled the official start of the parade. The mayor and city council members led the parade in fire trucks. This was the second time practitioners have participated in the parade in Corona, and the over 4,000 spectators that lined the parade route greeted them with warm applause.

Bill and Judy, who live in the area, waved at the practitioners. Judy said, “Their yellow T-shirts and white shoes look great. Their exercise movements look great, too!”

When he introduced the practitioners’ entry, the host of the parade said that Falun Dafa was an ancient self-improvement cultivation practice that included exercises and meditation but with an emphasis on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Congressman Ken Calvert, who has represented the 41^st District since 1993, said, “We have the Fourth of July parade every year. People in Corona are very patriotic. They love their country and they like to display that.”

Referring to the Falun Gong Protection Act recently passed by the House of Representatives, Calvert said, “In the United States, we believe that people should be free. Obviously China is a repressive state, and the government of the Communist Party runs things there. What’s going on with the Uyghurs and the number of groups is horrendous. It’s terrible. So we need to stand up and support freedom around the world. That’s what this day is all about – freedom."

When talking about how to help the persecuted Chinese people, he said, “We should continue to speak out, speak out and say that. We believe in the rights of individuals to express their beliefs.”