France: Promoting Falun Gong on National Day (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) July 14 is the French National Day. Besides other celebration activities, on this day of every year, a grand military review is held on Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris. Tens of thousands of people, including many from other provinces, come out to the streets to participate in the celebration. On this holiday, Falun Gong practitioners held activities at La Place des Innocents (near Pengpidu Art Centre) to promote Falun Dafa and raise awareness of the persecution.
  Falun Gong exercises demonstration |
 Waist drum performance |
A "Falun Dafa" banner was hung in a prominent position between the trees. Exhibition boards were displayed, introducing how Falun Gong has spread all over the world and describing how Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party have colluded to carry out a systematic and brutal campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. An information booth was set up nearby, which has Falun Dafa introduction fliers in more than 10 languages. A group of practitioners demonstrated the beautiful, easy and relaxing Falun Gong exercises, while some also performed traditional Chinese dancing and waist drumming. In the meantime, another group of practitioners distributed leaflets and answered questions raised by the public.
  Dance: Celestial maidens scattering flowers |
 Dance: Silk Fan |
Many passersby were drawn to the site by the peaceful exercises, the sound of the drums and the graceful dancing. After watching the performances, many people went to the information booth to sign the petition expressing support for Falun Dafa. Some of them talked with practitioners to get more information and said that they would like to go to a practice site to learn the exercises.
 A civilian studying the posters |
 A lady signing the practitioners' petition |
Many kind-hearted French people found it difficult to understand why the CCP would brutally persecute such a peaceful practice. Practitioners said: The CCP controls China by violence and lies. It can't put up with the fact that people believing in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" outnumbered CCP members. Many people came to understand upon hearing practitioners' such explanation.
 The information booth |
A gentleman, who was a freelance journalist for several TV stations in France, told practitioners that he knew the human rights record of China was terrible. For criticizing China's human right problems, he said that one of his reporter friends was deported by the CCP. He left his friend's contact address so that practitioners could send her some information. Before he left, he also wished practitioners the best of luck and told them to keep up their good work.
After reading the exhibition boards exposing the persecution, a French couple that just came back from China said, "We didn't know that such filthy facts are behind the economic prosperity in China."
After reading the exhibition boards, a French girl felt not only indignant but also helpless. So she asked practitioners how she could help to end the persecution. They encouraged her to let others know about the persecution and to remember in her heart that in the end good will prevail over evil and justice will be done.
The event lasted near three hours in baking sun. With great compassion, practitioners tirelessly told the French people the facts about Falun Dafa again and again, hoping that all of them will have a bright future.