News and Events from around the World -- August 10, 2005

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content


  • France: The Power of Benevolence

  • Canada: Falun Gong Banner Group Opens the Hamilton Carnival in Ontario

  • Ontario, Canada: Special Report on the Hamilton Carnival Parade



  • France: The Power of Benevolence

    "Coming from far away, again and again, I come for you": the beautiful and moving song "I Come for You" was echoing around the Eiffel Tower. Among a group of tourists from China, some were listening to the song whilst carefully reading the display posters exposing the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong. Some wept while others listened to the explanation of the facts about the persecution by Falun Gong practitioners. They stayed for quite a while.

    At about 7:00pm on the 27th of July 2005, three buses full of Chinese tourists parked at the side of the road. These tourists were to have dinner at a Chinese restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. A few Falun Gong practitioners were explaining the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution against the practice in China to tourists at the site. Loudspeakers were broadcasting information on the Chinese Communist regime's crimes against Falun Gong, exposed by the former Chinese diplomat in Australia Chen Yonglin.

    Falun Gong practitioners welcomed the Chinese tourists with big smiles and politely asked them to "please hear and learn the facts about Falun Gong." However, maybe they were too hungry, too tired or too deeply poisoned by the Chinese Communist Party, as the Chinese tourists didn't want to stop and quickly walked towards the restaurant. Regardless of how many, maybe today they came here from far away, it would not be a coincidence that they heard and saw Falun Gong practitioners. We would not let them lose this precious opportunity to learn the truth.

    While patiently waiting for them to come out from dinner, practitioners started to broadcast music and songs created by Falun Gong practitioners. When the song "I Come For You" was broadcast, the beautiful voices and practitioners' honest and compassionate attitudes formed a pure and righteous field, and the surroundings changed very obviously. Chinese tourists stopped to listen to the song and discussed among themselves quietly. Soon, it seemed that the frozen hearts from years of cruelty started to dissolve. The cold faces started to become relaxed.

    After a while, many Chinese tourists came to read the posters. Many others came to ask "Is it real?" "Is this beautiful song really composed by yourselves?" They also asked where they could get an audio CD of this song.

    Practitioners patiently answered all their questions and told them that this song was composed according to the real experiences of thirty-six western Falun Gong practitioners who peacefully appealed on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The song truly expressed Falun Gong practitioners' wishes. Practitioners also told everyone how to break through the Internet control by the Communist regime to look at web sites featuring Falun Gong information and to download songs and music by Falun Gong practitioners. When they learned the true evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party and the brutal persecution of innocent people who want to live according to the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance", and when they saw the photos of the persecuted practitioners, many of them cried.

    A tourist asked, "If all this is happening in China. Why are you telling people about the persecution abroad?" A practitioner told her with honesty and compassion: "I use my own money and my own time, I am really coming for you so that you could have a beautiful future. I don't have any other purpose." Everyone went quiet. It seemed that one could hear the heartbeats of all these people who were touched by Falun Gong's great compassion.

    At 8:00 pm, the activity for the day was about over. People didn't want to leave. The tour guide hurried people to the bus. Practitioners waved to them and sincerely hoped that they would choose a beautiful future.



    Canada: Falun Gong Banner Group Opens the Hamilton Carnival in Ontario

    On August 6, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners were invited to take part in the Hamilton Carnival in Ontario, Canada. As the organizers were deeply impressed by the practitioners' parade entry last year, the organization committee sent a special invitation to Falun Gong practitioners and arranged the Falun Gong contingent as the first entry in the parade procession. The organizers invited practitioners to hold two colored banners embroidered with the Falun emblem as the background for their ribbon cutting during the opening ceremony.


    Two colorful banners embroidered with the Falun emblem create the background for the organizers' ribbon cutting ceremony


    Ontario, Canada: Special Report on the Hamilton Carnival Parade

    On August 6, 2005, the three-day Hamilton Carnival entered the second day. Falun Gong practitioners were invited to attend the parade. After the parade, practitioners held an exercise demonstration and other celebration activities in Lakeshore Park. The parade started off from City Hall at 11 a.m. and ended at Lakeshore Park. The route was about 2 miles long.

    Falun Gong practitioners were dressed in golden exercise suits. Coordinator Ms. Wang said that they took part in the stage performance in last year's carnival and their performance received great reviews from the audience and event organizers. "This year, the organizers invited us to give a traditional Chinese art performance just like last year, and in addition, they also invited us to join the parade."


    Falun Dafa procession passing through James Street

    Spectators clapping for the Tang Drum troupe

    Falun Gong exercise demonstration

    The Falun Gong procession was arranged second in the lineup, right behind the police officers' procession.

    A Hamilton resident, accompanied by her friend from British Columbia, watched the Falun Gong practitioners practicing the Tang Drum routine at the parade's starting point. She told this reporter, "The newspaper said that 150,000 people would come to attend this carnival. Falun Gong's drum performance really brought something new and fresh to the event."

    Hamilton is 60 kilometers from Toronto and is well known for its iron and steel manufacturing. It has a population of 500,000, with very few Chinese people. Mr. Zhang, a Falun Gong practitioner, distributed truth-clarification materials along the parade route while pushing a stroller with his child. He told this reporter that he was distributing materials detailing the campaign of rescuing children orphaned in the persecution of Falun Gong. "These spectators are very nice. Most of them took the materials." Mr. Zhang said, "Some people asked what Falun Gong is, so I stopped and explained to them the facts about Falun Gong. They all seemed to understand and expressed their support."

    In the afternoon, the celebration activities held in the park attracted even more visitors. The large parking lot was full, and two nearby fields were used for additional parking.

    The Falun Gong practitioners' stage performance started around 3 p.m. The traditional Chinese culture presented by the practitioners attracted many visitors. Despite the hot sun beating down, spectators quietly watched and enjoyed the performances.