(Minghui.org) Practitioners met in Burgas, the fourth largest city in Bulgaria, for their annual Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference and other events on September 7 and 8, 2024. They did the exercises, read the Falun Dafa teachings, and held activities to inform the public of their practice and the ongoing persecution in China.
Practitioners in Bulgaria met at the Contemporary Art Center and Library on September 7, 2024
Known as the city of birds and lakes, Burgas is a coastal city famous for its summer festivals, and even in early autumn, it’s a lively attraction for Bulgarians and tourists. Coinciding with the practitioners’ meeting was the gourmet festival, Fish and Wine, which brought many visitors to the city. The Sea Garden is Burgas’ most famous public park and home to a variety of greenery and sculptures. The roughly 2,000 acre park is located on the coast and draws much foot traffic.
Practitioners did the exercises in Burgas on September 7 and 8
On the mornings of September 7 and 8, practitioners did the Falun Dafa exercises in the park next to the Flora Expo Center. Many early risers and people doing their morning exercise routines stopped to watch as practitioners dressed in white and yellow performed smooth and slow movements to soothing music. Many accepted informational flyers to learn more about Falun Dafa.
Diana (right) learns the third exercise.
Retired opera singer Diana was interested in Falun Dafa and did the exercises with practitioners. She said that it took a lot of resilience, but that she felt wonderful afterwards.
Desislava and Joseph live and work in Belgium and were vacationing in Bulgaria. Falun Dafa practitioner Zlatko showed them the exercises and told them about the event in Burgas. The couple decided to visit the seaside city and take the opportunity to do the exercises with practitioners.
During the two days, practitioners raised awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution and collected signatures. One petition, launched by Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), calls on the G7+7 nations to stop the CCP’s 25-year-long persecution of Falun Dafa. The other condemns the CCP for its numerous human rights abuses.
Bulgarians Sign the Petitions
Practitioners set up an informational display in Clock Square, which is located in the center of Burgas, on the evening of September 7. The display included banners and a booth for signing the two petitions. Many passersby stopped and talked with them and said they were interested in learning the exercises.
Ana Mincheva signs the petitions.
Ana Mincheva signed the petitions and said she was aware of the repression that Dafa practitioners in China are being subjected to. She was pleased to have the opportunity to sign the petition and told practitioners that she did the exercises in Vienna nine years ago.
Samuel with his parents Sonia and Georgi at the Falun Dafa information booth.
Samuel is from Burgas and visited the practitioners’ booth with his parents. He was very proud of his parents when they signed the petition ending the CCP and said, “How can one remain indifferent when hearing about these atrocities and crimes of the CCP? How can this cause not be supported?”
Journalist Asya Chaneva (middle) from the Bulgarian National Radio.
Asya Cheneva is a journalist at the Bulgarian National Radio and hosts the Hristo Botev program. She was curious about Falun Dafa and asked many questions. After she signed both petitions, she left her card with a practitioner and asked that they meet so that she could follow up on the story.
Galina lives in the Czech Republic, but was vacationing in her native city of Burgas. She signed the petition condemning the CCP after learning about the 25-year persecution of Falun Dafa in China. She also urged her friend to sign the petition, and her friend was interested in learning Falun Dafa.
Galina (right) said, “Change starts with us. Good always wins!”
A group of teenagers passed by the booth and banners that showed the various forms of violence that the CCP uses to persecute practitioners. It turned out that they were learning Chinese, but they had no idea about the dark side of China. They were horrified, and asked, “Is this true? How is this possible?” They asked for leaflets to take home so their parents could read them.
A young man said, “What I heard is out of the ordinary, it has to stop!”
A father and son from Poland sign the petition “End the CCP!” The father said, “We are from a post-communist country, so we understand.”
People line up to sign the petition to end the CCP.
People learn about Falun Dafa.
Car Tour Raising Awareness of the Persecution
The practitioners also organized a car tour through the streets of Burgas. The tour included 15 cars and passed slowly along all the central boulevards and streets of the seaside town. The tour was accompanied by a recording that told people about the ongoing persecution in China, as well as the strength and goodness that the Falun Dafa practice gives people.
Car tour passes by the central railway station in Burgas.
At bus stops and on sidewalks, people listened to the information and read what was written on the signs as the procession slowed or stopped. A young man took a video of the car tour.
People learn about Falun Dafa and the CCP’s persecution.
A few practitioners stayed behind to continue the petition drive on the square near the clock tower. Many people spoke with them and signed the petitions.
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. Its teachings are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings and 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. 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 that has the power to override the police and judicial systems. Its 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 25 years. However, the actual number is believed to be much higher, due to the difficulty in getting information out of China. 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.
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