(Clearwisdom.net) From January 6th to 8th, 2006, practitioners from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Pjatigorsk, Yekaterinburg, Vladimir State and Ukraine held a group Fa study and experience sharing gathering during the New Year holiday. To introduce Falun Gong to the public and let them know about the persecution happening in China, they also held an anti-torture exhibition on the streets.

An elderly Swiss person listened to a practitioner's truth-clarification in English

St. Petersburg citizens pay close attention to the persecution

People sign a petition in support of Falun Dafa

Practitioners spent two days focusing on studying Master Li's new articles, "Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago" and "Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005." They also exchanged thoughts on how to let the Chinese people in their local areas know the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution. Many practitioners shared their experiences and ways on how they changed their local circumstances, by studying the Fa diligently, strengthening their righteous thoughts and telling people about the persecution. Practitioners learned a lot from each other and the whole sharing created a unique, peaceful atmosphere.

On January 6th, practitioners held gatherings at two subway stations in St. Petersburg's city center. They displayed truth-clarifying boards and staged anti-torture exhibits with actual practitioners reenacting the torture methods, to disclose the cruel persecution that Falun Gong practitioners have suffered over the past six years. Practitioners talked to people about the persecution and distributed leaflets. Many people signed the petition to help stop the persecution.

After one woman, who was a Christian, learned the truth, she asked practitioners for extra leaflets, as she wanted to give them to her friends. In a short time, she came back again with a couple of people. They walked directly to the petition table to sign the petition.

When a practitioner went to talk to a passerby who just stopped to watch, the gentleman did not take the persecution seriously at the beginning. He asked, "Does what you are doing here have anything to do with me?" The practitioner answered, "If someone in Russia was put into prison simply for believing in the Orthodox Church, would you agree with it?" He replied, "I am against it, there should be freedom of belief." Then the practitioner asked him again: "In China, people are ruthlessly persecuted simply for believing in 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance,' do you support it?" He said, "No, I do not." He nodded his head signaling that he then understood the truth.

Later on, a local official who granted practitioners the space for this activity came with a policeman. When a practitioner tried to hand a leaflet to them, the official opened his document case and told him that he had seen it long ago. The policeman asked for a flier to read. When they were talking with practitioners, they said, "This is Russia, it's not China. You don't need to worry anything while you're holding activities here." The practitioners expressed their sincere gratitude for their righteous support.

Source http://clearharmony.net/articles/200601/30957.html