Canada: Falun Gong Practitioners Call to End Decades-Long Persecution

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners in Calgary, Canada, held an event in front of the Chinese Consulate General in Calgary on July 17, 2026, calling to end the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 27-year persecution in China and its transnational suppression.

Practitioners held banners in front of the Chinese Consulate General in Calgary on July 17, calling to end the persecution. (Minghui.org)

They displayed banners which read: “Falun Dafa Is Good,” “Stop Persecuting Falun Gong,” and “Stop Transnational Repression.” Many drivers of vehicles passing by honked their horns to show their support, waved, or gave practitioners a thumbs-up.

A man shook a practitioner’s hands and gave the other practitioners a thumbs-up. “I know that Falun Dafa represents kindness and is a very good practice,” he said. “I also know that you are being persecuted. I support you, and I appreciate all you have done. I hope you persevere, stand strong and continue to move forward. God bless you!”

Falun Dafa Association of Canada Calls On Conscience and Justice

During the event, a practitioner representative read a statement from the Falun Dafa Association of Canada: “Twenty-seven years ago, on July 20, 1999, the CCP launched a full-scale persecution of Falun Gong.” “Horrific atrocities such as torture, persecution to death, and even state-sponsored harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners have continued to occur in the past 27 years, and have not stopped to this day.”

The statement accused the CCP of exporting its repressive methods to Canada and “carrying out transnational repression through surveillance, intimidation, disinformation campaigns, and political pressure.” “Falun Gong and Shen Yun Performing Arts have received over 140 bomb threats and death threats, and are facing malicious lawsuits, smearing campaigns from major media outlets with deep economic ties to the CCP, and attacks from CCP agents.”

The statement read that the persecution has never been able to destroy practitioners’ faith in the last 27 years. “Practitioners have never responded to the persecution with hatred or violence, regardless in China or around the world, but have continued to face it with courage and perseverance. The strength to uphold the truth in the face of evil and lies is a true reflection of Falun Gong’s teachings and the best testament to the resilience of the human spirit.”

The statement appealed in the end, “All people, choose conscience over ignorance, choose justice over silence, so that justice may ultimately prevail.”

Communism Harms Humanity

Jeff Yang, spokesperson for the Calgary Falun Dafa Association, said that the CCP’s persecution of millions of practitioners is the persecution of the human values of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. “It not only destroys morality and leads people to indulge in desires, but also uses atheism to brainwash people, leading them away from the divine and to betray the divine in order to achieve the ultimate goal of destroying humanity.”

Jeff said the United States and Western countries have realized the dangers of communism. “President Trump has repeatedly said that communism has never succeeded and has caused the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. It is the ‘cancer’ that harms societies,” he said.

He advised the officials at the Chinese Consulate Generals in Calgary, “You are also victims of the CCP regime. Don’t follow the evil party to persecute Falun Gong and extend the persecution because this will ruin your future and career. CCP officials who persecuted Falun Gong have already either been thrown into prison, suddenly became ill and died, or died under mysterious circumstances. Please think twice.”

Entire Family Persecuted; Rescued to Canada

Ms. Zhang Lihong, a practitioner rescued to Canada as a UN refugee, said her family did not break any laws, yet they became targets of persecution simply for telling people that “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

Her husband was illegally sentenced to five years in prison, where he was subjected to various forms of torture and repeatedly lost consciousness. She and her young child were forced to move around to avoid persecution. Her parents were unlawfully arrested many times, and as a result, their health deteriorated, and they passed away.

Many people ask practitioners why they persist even though they’ve been subjected to so much suffering. Ms. Zhang said, “Because Falun Dafa teaches us to be good people by practicing Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I stand here today not out of hatred, not for revenge, but to let people know about the persecution.

“Because only the facts can counter the CCP’s lies; only conscience can dissolve hatred; only kindness can bring true hope.” She said, “Let the universal value of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance be respected, and let kindness no longer be persecuted.”

Refuses to Be a CCP Spy

Emily Qiu, who arrived in Canada two years ago, shared her experience of being persecuted in China.

She was arrested in September 2005 for practicing Falun Gong and was held in a brainwashing center for two months. She was under 24-hour surveillance and was frequently locked in a dark room where she was interrogated.

She was arrested again in August, 2009 and was held for three months. She was deprived of sleep for extended periods, exposed to bright light, had cold water splashed on her face while lying on the floor, and was not allowed to take a bath for a month in the sweltering summer days when it was 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).

Two officers from the State Security Bureau spoke with her privately in February, 2010, asking whether she would be willing to go to Taiwan or the US, and they offered to help her. She understood this was an attempt to recruit her as a spy. She refused.

She said, “All countries, governments and people, please uphold justice, stand up and join us to stop the persecution and restore justice to the world.”