The 75^th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade was held the evening of November 26, 2006, in Los Angeles. Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in this festive event with a long history. Practitioners' grand lineup, with brilliantly colored costumes, vigorous and inspiring drums, and a beautifully decorated float, attracted the media's attention. People along the way gave them constant applause and acclamations. There were also people who pressed their hands together to bow and Heshi to practitioners.

As in previous years, this year's procession started at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater, with a total length of 2.3 miles. About 500,000 spectators gathered on both sides of the street. Los Angeles KTLA-TV Tribune television station broadcast live to the United States during the actual parade, and more than 20 television stations in San Francisco, Boston, Washington, San Diego, Hawaii, and other major cities rebroadcast it on different channels. A national television broadcast in the evening spent two and a half minutes reporting on the Falun Gong contingent. The next day, newspapers reported on the Hollywood Christmas parade. The third largest newspaper in the US, the Los Angeles Times, placed a photo of Falun Gong waist drummers on the front page. TV stations in the Los Angeles area will rebroadcast the parade in the coming weekend.

The Falun Gong contingent, composed of more than 230 practitioners, was the only group of predominantly Chinese in the parade. At the front of their procession was the Western US Divine Land Marching Band with more than 130 members. They wore blue hats, jackets, and light-colored pants. The band members marched in step and played loud and clear. As the procession moved forward, it seemed that all the haze dispersed. Many spectators spontaneously clapped their hands with the beat of the drums, and children rushed into the street, jumping and cheering.

Closely following the marching band were celestial maidens in orange Tang Dynasty costumes. They danced gracefully to peaceful music. Their long, broad sleeves flew through the air as they danced, conveying practitioners' message: "We wish to bring the wonderfulness of Falun Gong to everybody.

Behind the dancers appeared a float with a huge lantern carefully constructed by practitioners. On the float, practitioners sitting on lotuses demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises. Other practitioners constantly waved to the audience. "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance"--the three characters were eye-catching in the shining light of the red lantern.

At the end of the Falun Gong procession were the waist drummers. They were dressed in yellow outfits, and everyone was in high spirits and happy. Their display was a wonderful climax to the Falun Gong contingent. People could easily remember: "Falun Dafa is Good!"

As they announced the Falun Gong contingent, the parade anchors said that Falun Gong was first introduced to the public in 1992 and that it was suitable for people of different ages and cultural backgrounds: "It has five sets of exercises and includes a meditation. It can improve one's mind, body and spirit, and increase one's energy. The practice was introduced not long ago, but it is already very popular and has spread to dozens of countries worldwide. Its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, has twice been nominated for the Nobel Prize. The male anchor said, "I'm practicing now, and it is really effective."

The coordinator of the practitioners in the parade, Mr. Li, said that it was the second time for the Falun Gong group to participate in the parade. Last year the group was recognized by many circles. In fact, when the sponsor of one of the largest parades in the eastern US--the West Virginia Strawberry Festival Celebration Parade in Buckhannon--was looking for participating groups, a recommendation from the Hollywood Parade organizer prompted him to invite the Falun Gong group to participate in their Strawberry Parade held on May 20 this year. The Falun Gong contingent was the only Chinese group invited to participate in the parade and won five awards.

Mr. Li recounted that, prior to that parade, they could not assemble their float outdoors because of the rain. The sponsor of the Strawberry Festival Parade rented a venue for repairing airplanes especially for the practitioners to assemble the float.

After the parade, the Western US Divine Land Marching Band left Los Angeles and returned to San Francisco. At a rest stop halfway home, a passerby chased one of the members of the band and asked, "You just participated in the parade, and you are heading back home, right?" She said excitedly, "I saw you on TV! Your group is really beautiful! Very colorful!" She repeated several times, "Really beautiful!"

The Hollywood Christmas Parade began in 1982, inspired by cowboy singer Gene Autry's holiday classic "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Originally for attracting tourists and consumers, it has turned into a grand event heralding the Christmas season in the US.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our gathering here today is not accidental. You can often witness such activities in all parts of Germany as well as around the world in places like Austria, Canada, Japan, Australia, the US, Hong Kong, and Taiwan," stated Helmut, a practitioner, whose baritone voice resounded in bustling Marien Platz. Activities in the plaza drew the attention of passersby and visitors. Large scale banners, display boards printed with photos and captions, together with an anti-torture exhibition, exposed a tragic chapter in human history: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. Meanwhile, the public was informed of the predicted end of the CCP, with 15 million Chinese people having already quit the CCP and its related organizations.

Organ harvesting reenactment

People are shocked by the brutality of the CCP

Dr. Rosenberger and his son

Signing names to support Falun Gong

Signing names to support Falun Gong

On November 18 practitioners from Germany and Austria staged a rally in bustling Marien Platz in downtown Munich. The purpose of the activities was to recognize and support the 15 million Chinese people who have quit the CCP and its related organizations and to expose the CCP persecution of Falun Gong, detailing its atrocities against the Chinese people as well as its destruction of ancient Chinese culture. The rally completely disclosed the Party's evil nature.

By the second anniversary of the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, Falun Gong practitioners had held such activities in Marien Platz, Munich on three successive Saturdays. The rally drew the attention of numerous locals and visitors. People condemned the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. Many signed the petition calling on the German government to help end organ harvesting from living practitioners.

Among the numerous visitors, quite a few were tourists and officials from China. As overseas tourists, they had personally experienced the overwhelming tide of quitting the CCP. The Chinese solemn statements posted on The Epoch Times website were exhibited on the display boards. Many of the Chinese tourists daringly lingered in front of the display boards, took photos of and videoed the activities, and also accepted the leaflets distributed by practitioners. Some even expressed their willingness to quit the CCP shortly after talking with the practitioners, while others observed the activities from afar and gave approving smiles after listening to the defection song. Yet there were some who were still so poisoned by the CCP’s deceitful lies or were not brave enough or were unwilling to accept the leaflets. A small number of individuals even argued illogically with the practitioners.

Dr. Rosenberger and his son happened to pass by Marien Platz. Informed of the CCP atrocity of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners, he hardly could believe what he had just heard. At once he asked for further details. After understanding the facts, he and his son both signed the petition without hesitation, solemnly calling on the German government to help end the CCP’s atrocity. Dr. Rosenberger told the reporter that he was quite shocked after realizing what was going on during this current persecution. Above all he thought that action should be taken to urge people from all walks of life to bring a prompt end to the tragedy. As a doctor, he was asked what he thought of his counterparts in China who were involved in harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. He commented that what these doctors were doing was completely against the Hippocratic Oath and against a doctor's lifelong obligation. In his opinion, practicing medicine was a sacred profession to relieve people's mental and physical pain and not a tool to earn one’s living by harming human lives.

  November 17, 2006, marks the seventh anniversary of the Czech Communist Party's dissolution. On this day, the NGO Human Rights Without Borders held a series of activities to protest the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its many human rights atrocities. Falun Gong practitioners joined others in the protest.

On the evening before the 17^th, practitioners held a peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy. In the candlelight vigil, Falun Gong practitioners peacefully protested by doing the sitting meditation. Staff of the Chinese Embassy in a car and others passing by in their vehicles could not help but notice such a peaceful scene. A reporter from the media arrived and quietly took pictures in the dim evening light.

On November 17, a parade protesting CCP atrocities was a great success. Before the parade, many invited speakers condemned the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong. Mr. David Kilgour, former director of the Asia-Pacific division of Canada's Foreign Affairs Ministry, said, "We can't see holding the Olympic Games in 2008 in a country whose government has killed its own people and sold their organs for profit. I am calling on China to immediately stop committing these crimes."

Two young people from the Czech Republic were excited by the rally against the Communist tyranny. They said, "This is the very day we have been waiting for." After that they joined the parade, holding up a banner that read, "The CCP Will Collapse." When the parade started, some people participated in the parade and others offered to distribute leaflets. The parade went through the center of Prague. Numerous people accepted truth-clarifying materials exposing the CCP's organ harvesting. Greatly shocked, the people realized that the CCP will collapse. The Czech Communist Party fell apart 17 years ago. The Chinese Communist Party will not escape a similar fate.

On November 19, practitioners set up a stage, displayed exhibition boards revealing the CCP persecution, hung up banners, and clarified the truth of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners to the Czech people and groups of tourists from all over the world. A Chinese tourist living in Sydney told practitioners, "I know that the Chinese Embassy in Sydney is afraid of Falun Gong. In the contest between the CCP and Falun Gong, it is Falun Gong that is winning." Many people showed their support by signing the petition opposing the persecution. After signing the petition, one lady read more material about the persecution. A practitioner gave her a beautiful handmade lotus flower, expressing appreciation for her signature. Suddenly the lady began to cry. Perhaps it was difficult for her to imagine why such kind people are suffering from such cruel persecution. Justice should not allow such a thing!

The Czech practitioners' activity was also covered by the Czech media. The Czech National TV Station reported on the CCP organ harvesting in detail and invited Mr. David Kilgour to participate in an interview.

On November 13, 2006, several Falun Gong practitioners from Ireland, England and Scotland set out on a week-long car tour. The car tour was to rescue Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China by traveling through the six counties of Northern Ireland. At the same time, the car tour also exposed the atrocity of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) removing organs from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit.

The car tour started from Newry County Down. When they arrived at a destination, the practitioners would go to local councilors and media telling them that Falun Gong practitioners are being cruelly persecuted in China, and about the brutal nature of the CCP. A councilor from Newry wrote a letter in reply to Falun Gong practitioners, saying that he had already seen the persecution of Falun Gong on TV and he was going to call on other councilors to pay attention to the CCP organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners.

When clarifying the truth in Derry, though it was raining, local people were lining up, waiting their turn to sign the petition opposing the persecution. Such a scene was quite moving.

In Omagh County Tyrone, two Falun Gong practitioners went straight to the local Q101 Radio Station to clarify the truth of Falun Gong being persecuted by the CCP, and relate the purpose of this car tour to the host. The host immediately interviewed the practitioners and reported the news the same day.

The last place was Armagh. The activity of the day was about to end and practitioners were ready to leave when a local young man walked over and asked, "May I sign the petition?" A practitioner took out the petition right away. The young man signed his name first and then asked his girl friend to sign the petition expressing their support for Falun Gong.

At every destination Falun Gong local people responded warmly to the practitioners. One after another, they showed their sympathy and concern for Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted in China. They said that they felt it hard to imagine the persecution those practitioners are facing. Some people wanted to offer help by donating some money directly. The practitioners of the car tour thanked them saying, "We don’t accept money. What we are doing is just clarifying the truth to people so as to seek support from people all over the world and to end the persecution as soon as possible."

Within the duration of this car tour, though it was very cold and often raining, practitioners remained firm. Bad weather could not shake their resolve. Their only wish was to clarify the truth of Falun Gong being persecuted and to reveal the brutal nature of the CCP to everyone in Northern Ireland in order to stop the inhuman and bloody persecution launched by the CCP.

Following the previous formation of the Australia CIPFG (Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong) delegation, the Victoria CIPFG Team was formed on November 24, 2006, and held a press conference in Melbourne to declare application for entry into China to conduct unrestricted investigation on the CCP live organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. A representative of the team told the correspondent that they planed to go to Hebei, Jilin, and Hubei Provinces to investigate the issue. The team wrote to Liang Shugen, Chinese General Consul in Melbourne and requested an appointment to talk about the trip arrangements.

Mr. Peter Westmore, leader of the Victoria CIPFG Team and president of the National Civic Council, said, "Many Australians are extremely alarmed by the allegations that large numbers of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience have been killed in China to harvest their organs for the transplant trade. It is utterly unacceptable that these evil practices should take place in a country which will shortly host the Olympic Games. Therefore, we are prepared to enter China to conduct interference-free investigations."

Ms. Janet Rice, member of Victoria CIPFG team, Mayor of Maribyrnong City, Victoria, said, "Considering the seriousness of the claims of the Kilgour-Matas report, it is irresponsible not to take any action. That is why I am willing to be part of this investigation delegation to investigate in China."

Mr. Zhonghua Xiao, spokesperson for Australia CIPFG delegation, said, "The purpose of going to China to conduct first-hand investigation is to demand that the CCP stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and to make sure that the suggestions in the Kilgour-Matas report are applied. If we are not allowed to conduct the investigation, then this adds more weight to the authenticity of the Kilgour-Matas report."

In the letter to Liang Shugen, Chinese General Consul in Melbourne, the team requested a meeting with human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and Falun Gong practitioner Cao Dong, and asked the CCP to provide their imprisonment location. Lawyer Gao is a member of the CIPFG. Mr. Cao was arrested after meeting with Mr. McMillan-Scott, The Vice-President of the European Parliament at the beginning of this year.

Before the press conference, the Victoria CIPFG Team received written or oral support from members of the Parliament of Victoria.

MP Tony Robinson said in his letter, "I am happy to offer my support for further investigations into the extremely disturbing allegations of forced organ harvesting in China. While the Australian Government has recognized the tremendous increase in organ transplant procedure in China, and the unjust detention of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners, it has not made sufficient inquiries of its own into the recent claims of forced organ harvesting. Further investigation of the claims is justified and I congratulate the work of those engaged in this pursuit."

MP Jenny Mikakos said, "I am writing to indicate my support for the Australian delegation intending to visit China to investigate reports of organ harvesting and persecution of Falun Gong members. I remain extremely concerned about the serious allegations that have been made in the Kilgour-Matas report and would urge the Chinese authorities to co-operate and to allow international inspectors to independently investigate these allegations."

Other teams in Australia will declare their investigation plan in the near future.

Mr. Xiao, spokesperson for Australia CIPFG delegation, said, "The Australia CIPFG delegation is composed of 53 members and headed by an official of the Australia Federal Government. The team includes members of Parliament, members of provincial parliament, community leaders, religious leaders, lawyers, medical specialists, human rights organizations and media."

In July of this year, Mr. David Matas, international human rights lawyer, and Mr. David Kilgour, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) for Canada formed an independent investigation team and released their report to media on July 6, 2006, "Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China." In August, Mr. Kilgour and Mr. McMillan-Scott gave speeches in many places in Australia. The Australian government and opposition parties reached agreement to request that the CCP allow independent international investigation.

Bratislava: David Kilgour, former Canadian State Secretary (Asia Pacific), visited Slovakia to inform its representatives about his investigation into organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese prisons.

In the morning he met with the leadership of the Committee for Human Rights, other minorities and the women of the Slovak parliament. During the subsequent press conference for the Slovak media, attended by both Slovak press agencies and national TV, he said that according to his report it is the source of the 41,500 organ transplantations in China during the years 2000-2005.

In one reported case a thirty-five year old man in Shanghai People’s Hospital No. 1 said, "I was offered four kidney transplants, which did not match my blood type and antigens, so the transplantation couldn’t be performed. Three months later I was offered another transplant, which was a match and it was duly transplanted." His doctor, Dr. Tan, openly told the man that these organs came from executed prisoners and that at least one of these organs was removed secretly without donor approval. Mr. Kilgour said he is sure that some of these organs came from Falun Gong practitioners.

The vice president of the committee, Frantisek Miklosko stated, with regard to the report, "If the conclusions of the report are true, the proper name to what is happening in China is genocide." Mrs. Gabaniova was alarmed by the existence of a database of people who are sentenced to organ removal by a doctor in hospital, which she qualified "as an especially inhuman act, suppressing the individuality of the person."

The chairman of the committee, Laszlo Nagy, will inform the Slovak Foreign Minister about the facts from the report and he will inform him about the steps which the Slovak government should be taking with regard to human right abuses in China."

In the afternoon Mr. Kilgour gave a lecture entitled "The worst crimes of communism today – organ harvesting in China," where he informed about fifty participants of all ages about the conclusions of his report.

Slovakia is the 23rd country in which David Kilgour informed its representatives about the conclusions of his report. In the coming days he will visit Austria, Italy, Ireland and other European countries.