France: Parisians Express Support for Falun Dafa

(Minghui.org) A recent event in the Belleville neighborhood of Paris gave people an opportunity to learn about Falun Dafa and the ongoing persecution of this mind-body cultivation practice in China.

On February 28, 2025, Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrated the Dafa exercises and displayed posters with information about Falun Dafa in Chinese and French near the Belleville train station exit. The posters told the story of Falun Dafa, including how Dafa was first taught publicly in China in 1992, how the practice spread through word of mouth in China, and then globally, due to its extraordinary benefits in improving health, and how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Dafa in July 1999.

The posters also highlighted the many activities held all over the world to expose the 25-year persecution, and practitioners’ unwavering efforts to uphold Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.

Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrate the Dafa exercises and talk to people about the ongoing persecution in China during an event in Belleville on February 28, 2025.

Chinese people read the displays.

People sign the petition to call for an end to the brutalities taking place in China.

There are many Chinese shops in Belleville and there was an open-air market that day. Many shoppers stopped to read the practitioners’ display. Several people expressed interest in learning the spiritual practice after seeing how peaceful practitioners appeared while doing the exercises. Practitioners told them where they can learn the exercises for free in Paris.

Besides introducing Falun Dafa to the public, practitioners also exposed the CCP’s crimes in persecuting the practice and collected signatures on a petition to end to the atrocities.

People Express Support for Falun Dafa

After Elena from Romania signed the petition, she said, “We also went through Communist rule, so we Romanians know what it is. I agree with what you are doing. I oppose the [Chinese] regime’s persecution of Falun Dafa.”

Yanis, who works at the train station, stopped on his lunch break to read the information about Falun Dafa. He said he thought it was not normal to stop people from freedom of speech and belief. “The CCP persecutes people and stops them from thinking,” he said. “In reality, it wants to force its thoughts on people. I don’t agree with this because we have the right to think what we want, and live the way we choose.

“Some boundaries cannot be crossed, and bans are not a good thing. Bans may force people to think in certain ways, but then people protest against these bans. I support you!”

Ahikn told practitioners, “You’ve done a great job, whether by introducing the practice through online videos or demonstrating the exercises here, they benefit humanity. Thank you!”

Need to Break Away from the CCP and Become a Free Person

Originally from Fujian, China, Mr. Zheng has lived in Paris for many years. He said he saw Chinese people attempt to disrupt practitioners’ activities because they have fallen for the CCP’s defamatory lies about Falun Dafa. Mr. Zheng affirmed that Falun Dafa practitioners conduct themselves according to Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance and are peaceful. He said he believes that practicing Falun Dafa benefits individuals as well as society.

“Chinese people should not keep living in a society filled with lies,” Mr. Zheng said. “The society in China is terrible now, and there’s no way out. Ordinary citizens are pitiful, yet people still say, ‘The Party gave me everything.’ Chinese are muddleheaded. What has the Party given you? It hasn’t given you anything. Chinese people have been brainwashed because they can’t see the true nature of the regime. They went along with it thinking it has power, now but that was seized. If Chinese could see things clearly, they would break away from [the Party]. Once you break away from it, you’ll feel lighter. When you are not restrained by it, you’ll be free, completely free. How great is that?

“There’s no hope in China now. Only when the CCP collapses will there be hope. Look at Taiwan. They are also Chinese, but compared to China, Taiwan got rid of Marxism, there is no Communism there. See how much better the lives of people in Taiwan are.

“Once there is democracy in China, it will become powerful in the world. If it continues to be under the rule of the CCP, it will never be strong. Only by eliminating Communist ideology will China be great. Just like America—it says it wants to be great again, they too want to get rid of Communism, Marxism, socialism and things like this. Humanity will only be great again when such things are gotten rid of.”

Before he left, Mr. Zheng told practitioners, “Thank you for your efforts!”