Washington DC: Candlelight Vigil on National Mall Commemorates Falun Gong Practitioners Who Have Died in the Persecution

(Minghui.org) On the evening of July 11, 2024, nearly 1,500 Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) practitioners wearing yellow shirts quietly sat holding candles on the lawn of the National Mall to commemorate fellow practitioners who have been persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the past 25 years and to call for an end to the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.

On the evening of July 11, 2024, Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil on the National Mall to commemorate fellow practitioners who were persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Party over the past 25 years.

Western Practitioners Support Practitioners in China

Frida, a Falun Gong practitioner from New Jersey, told passers-by on the National Mall about the persecution Chinese practitioners suffered in China and her own personal experience of the physical and mental benefits she gained from practicing Falun Gong.

Frida developed severe skin allergies and lost her sense of smell after she moved to the U.S. For eight years, she visited many doctors but the condition worsened.

Her sister started practicing Falun Dafa, and all her illnesses disappeared after one year. She urged Frida to practice, and after her sister’s repeated persuasion, she began to practice. After one or two weeks, her sense of smell was restored, and her allergies disappeared.

Frida said, “I’ve been practicing for 25 years. I try to follow Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance in my daily life. I changed. I have a big family. My family members have also changed. They don’t practice, but they have become better people. I know I’ve found the best cultivation practice.”

Frida from New Jersey participated in the candlelight vigil

Sitting on the lawn of National Mall and holding a candle, Frida thought of those people who were persecuted to death by the CCP, just for wanting to be good people and believing in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. “This is very sad,” Frida said, “We are here to remember those who lost their lives, their families, everything in China because they refused to give up practicing Falun Gong.”

Nick, a young American, has been practicing Falun Gong for 20 years and speaks fluent Chinese. He has participated in the candlelight vigil in Washington around July 20 every year for at least 15 years. He often read stories of how practitioners in China are persecuted. “(I participate in candle light vigil) because I feel heartbroken and want the whole world to know about the cruel persecution,” Nick said.

Nick wants the world to know about the cruel persecution.

He said, “I admire Falun Gong practitioners in China very much. They can persist in their beliefs under such circumstances. I hope they know that we here are also paying attention to them and thinking about them.”

Tamuz Itai from Israel has practiced Falun Dafa for twenty-two years. This is the fourth time he’s come to Washington DC to participate in the event around July 20.

Tamuz Itai from Israel told practitioners in China, “Don’t give up hope.”

He wants to tell fellow practitioners in China who are suffering from the persecution, “All Falun Gong practitioners around the world, and many non-practitioners, they all support you, even if you can’t hear their voices. Millions of people support you every day, not only in their hearts, but they also take action to resist and expose the persecution. As long as we can firmly believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the situation will change. So don’t give up hope.”

Chinese Practitioner: “We just want to tell people the truth.”

Liu Dexi, a practitioner from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China, has been illegally arrested, sentenced to forced labor, and imprisoned five times for his belief and for telling people about Falun Gong. Once he was sentenced to ten years in prison and tortured.

Liu Dexi was imprisoned and tortured in China.

Liu and a fellow practitioner held up a banner that read “Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa” in Tiananmen Square on the morning of January 1, 2001. A policeman in Beijing knocked him to the ground and kicked Liu in the head with his boot until Liu’s face was covered in blood. Then Liu was escorted back to Taizhou, Zhejiang, and sentenced to two and a half years of forced labor.

After he was released, he mailed CDs and VCDs to local government branches, telling them that Falun Dafa is righteous. He was arrested again and imprisoned for 10 years, and he was tortured in the prison.

Liu recalled, “I was tortured many times. For seven days and eight nights, my hands and feet were handcuffed to a metal chair, and two large lights were placed facing my eyes, not allowing me to sleep. Another time, they handcuffed my hands and hung me from an iron rod until I passed out before they let me down. That was 20 years ago, and the scars left by the handcuffs on my wrists are still clearly visible, and my thumbs are still numb.”

He continued, “I’ve always been concerned about the Falun Gong practitioners who are still being persecuted by the CCP and the kindhearted Chinese people who have been deceived by the CCP’s lies. We disregarded our own safety just to tell people the truth and let everyone know that Falun Dafa is good.”

People Encourage Falun Gong Practitioners

Abdul Nomad was shocked by the persecution

Abdul Nomad is an Egyptian immigrant who specializes in molecular chemistry and works in Washington, DC. He accompanied a friend to tour the capital, and saw thousands of Falun Gong practitioners practicing the exercises at the National Mall. He was attracted by the soothing music and wanted to learn more about the practice.

When he learned that Chinese Falun Gong practitioners were being persecuted and even had their organs harvested while they were alive because of their practice, he was shocked and kept saying, “I will call my congressman as soon as I get home and ask them to support you in ending this persecution. Thank you very much for coming here to express your voice.”

Mr. Zhu, a tourist from China, was visiting Washington DC that day. Seeing the candlelight vigil, he sighed that this was truly a tragedy for the Chinese people. He said Falun Gong is practiced all over the world, except in China, but China is the birthplace of Falun Gong.

Zhu said that he often penetrated the great firewall of China to read the Epoch Times and he knew that the communist party was a complete cult and that the communist party was the real culprit behind the suffering of the Chinese people.

High school student Mati was near the National Mall, and when he saw Falun Gong practitioners holding a candlelight vigil, he wanted to join them. Mati said, “It was beautiful and peaceful, and it was in line with the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance advocated by Falun Dafa.”

Mati joined candlelight vigil to show his support.

Yves from Belgium works in cyber security in national defense and heard about Falun Dafa for the first time. He said, “We usually see street protests where people are shouting and making a lot of noise. It’s shocking to see so many people sitting and quietly protesting. Although I’m not a practitioner, I want to stand with them and support them.”