(Minghui.org) Local practitioners participated in the Dublin Lunar Lantern Festival on February 8, 2025. They demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises and did the dragon dance, drawing passersby to stop and take photos. After learning about Falun Dafa (also known Falun Gong), many people signed a petition calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of the practice. Some people also asked where they could learn the exercises and buy Falun Dafa books.

Demonstrating the exercises during the Dublin Luna Lantern Festival in DublinThe dragon dance

People learn about Falun Dafa.

People Condemn the Persecution

Many people stopped and read the information on the display boards about the CCP’s forced organ harvesting from Falun Dafa practitioners and took flyers. After talking with practitioners, Mariana from Portugal signed the petition calling to end the persecution.

“I want to speak for those who are silenced. This has always been my wish,” Mariana said. “There are many unfortunate things happening now, and everyone is affected. When we are so lucky to have the opportunity to speak for others, it is crucial to stand up [to express support].”

She watched as practitioners did the exercises and said that she thought they were, “very peaceful and tranquil.” Simply because they do these exercises, practitioners in China are tortured and even subjected to forced organ harvesting. She condemned the persecution, saying, “I can’t understand why someone would treat their citizens like this. This is really inhumane.”

Mariana said she likes the peaceful Falun Dafa exercises.

Lily and her friends from the UK were on vacation in Dublin. After she signed the petition, Lily told a practitioner that she signed because she saw the call for an end to the forced organ harvesting. “We think this is wrong and should be stopped. We want to do our part to make a change.”

One of her friends, Bella, also signed the petition and said she could not accept that people were persecuted just because of their belief. “Falun Dafa can be practiced freely here. But in China, one is persecuted for doing these exercises. This is very unfair.”

Lily said she thought the exercises were elegant and peaceful. Bella said they looked relaxing. Although she’d never heard of Falun Dafa before, after watching the exercise demonstration, she felt it was very good. “Why are they persecuted in China? I really can’t understand it. This is so unfair.”

Bella said she appreciated practitioners for calling for an end to the persecution in such a peaceful way by collecting signatures. Especially when compared to the protests in the Middle East or other places, “I think this [peaceful protest] is amazing. If there are things you don’t agree with, this is how you can try to make a change.”

Everyone Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Pedro and his friend Maythe live in Cork in southern Ireland. They were visiting Dublin and happened to see practitioners demonstrating the exercises. They watched for a long time.

When asked what stopped them, Maythe smiled and said, “It was the peace. They looked so peaceful—they just drew my attention.” Pedro said that it was the CCP’s forced organ harvesting that shocked him. “This persecution is so absurd.”

Pedro said that he was from Brazil and did not consider himself a person of faith, but he tried to be a good person, for example, by being nice to others. He said that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance were good principles. “I can’t find anything wrong with them. In fact, it’s just like it is written here: ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are good.’ We should be like this every day.” Maythe agreed, “How can you say such principles are not good?”

Pedro and Maythe praised Falun Dafa.

Nick from Ukraine said he was drawn by the colors of the practitioners’ jackets with the words “Falun Dafa” printed on them. “At first I just noticed the bright colors and the beautiful exercise movements, then I realized that this was a petition to stop live organ harvesting, which I think is really terrible. I want to help do something to let more people know that live organ harvesting is happening in China.”

Nick said he was very interested in the Falun Dafa exercises. A practitioner told him that he could find exercise teaching videos in multiple languages on the falundafa.org website, as well as contact information for volunteers around the world. He said he would go to the website to take a look. “I think everyone needs Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance in their lives. Without them, we would not be human beings.”

Nick from Ukraine likes Falun Dafa.

The Persecution Must Stop

Nasmati from France was visiting friends in Dublin when she saw the display boards. She read them and translated the content for her friend Nazrat.

After signing the petition, Nasmati said she felt it was meaningful. At that time, the practitioners were demonstrating the second exercise. Seeing the practitioners standing there quietly, although they did not move Nasmati said she could feel a strong energy coming from them.

She told a practitioner that her friend Nazrat was also impressed. Nazrat could understand what the practitioners were saying, but she could not speak English. With the help of her friend to translate, Nazrat encouraged practitioners to persist in their efforts to expose the persecution.

Nasmati (left) and Nazrat (right) support practitioners’ efforts to end the persecution.

Paula walked directly to the table and signed the petition. Paula said that she grew up in Dublin and had often seen practitioners in different places in the city over the years. “I know about the persecution and the petition,” Paula told a practitioner.

She said that she had to catch a bus and only had five minutes, but she still wanted to sign the petition because, “This matter is very important.

“In my opinion, Falun Dafa is graceful and has healing effects. The practice has a long history and contains a lot of wisdom. It’s so heartbreaking to see people being tortured for such a practice. And so many people know nothing about it [the persecution], which is simply a great injustice for mankind. I think Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are exactly what the world needs. People need this to relax their tense nerves and find inner peace.”

She said she hopes the persecution ends soon.