(Clearwisdom.net) On June 28, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. sharp, Falun Gong practitioners in Northern Europe held a grand march in Gothenburg, Sweden, to protest against the Chinese Communist regime's nine-year-long persecution of Falun Gong and to support the 39 million Chinese people who have denounced the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
| The group themed "Falun Dafa is good" takes the lead in the procession. |
| Banners exposing the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong |
| Falun Gong practitioners rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in Gothenburg, Sweden |
| A representative from the Quitting the CCP Service Center in Sweden speaks at the rally |
The procession set off from Gothenburg's cultural center Gotaplatsen. The procession consisted of three sections. The first section featured the theme "Falun Dafa Is Good." It was composed of a waist drum team wearing golden yellow suits and Falun Gong practitioners in a variety of traditional Chinese clothing. Throughout the parade, they manifested the magnificence and peacefulness of Falun Dafa. The second section was composed of Falun Gong practitioners and people from around the world who are against the persecution of Falun Gong, while the third section featured the "Nine Commentaries on Communist Party" and showed support for the 39 million Chinese who have bravely quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
The magnificence of the waist drum team and the traditional Chinese dance team attracted the attention of many passersby. After passing through the busy business district, the procession went south through the old town and passed by the Gothenburg Chinese Consulate. The procession finally arrived at Gustaf Adolf Torget in front of City Hall. Many passersby joined the parade along the way to show their support for Falun Gong practitioners.
Among the participants in the parade were Falun Gong practitioners from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Poland and Latvia, and volunteer workers for the Northern European Service Center for Quitting the CCP, as well as volunteers from the Epoch Times newspaper.
After the parade, a rally was held at Gustaf Adolf Torget. Mr. Jorgen Bergman, Director of the Swedish Service Center for Quitting the CCP, Dan Alfjorden, Vice President of the Swedish Falun Dafa Association, Benjiamin, a Dafa practitioner from China, and Manyan Ng, Executive Director of the German Human Rights Association, gave remarks.
Mr. Bergman said, "Since the CCP was established on July 1, 1921 in China, after it took power, the Chinese people have undergone various calamities one after another. What has gone along with CCP rule are atrocities, cruel tortures, massacres and lies. As a result, over 80 million Chinese people died of unnatural causes under CCP rule. Chinese people have lived in a deplorable situation without basic human rights. However, the CCP-quitting wave following the publishing of the "Nine Commentaries on Communist Party" has ushered in the light of hope for the Chinese people. As the Chinese people are awakening, there have been over 39 million people quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations. The Swedish Service Center for Quitting the CCP would like to help more Chinese people be free of the Chinese regime so as to have a bright future."
Mr. Dan Alfjorden said, "The Chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong has been going on for about nine years. Falun Gong practitioners, based on the spirit of great compassion and great tolerance, have incessantly petitioned against the persecution. Falun Gong is an ancient cultivation practice, and its practitioners strive to constantly cultivate themselves according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance, to purify their bodies and minds. That is what the Chinese regime really is afraid of. The evil Chinese regime has employed its entire national machine to crack down on Falun Gong and persecute practitioners. To date, the confirmed number of Falun Gong practitioners persecuted to death is over 3,000. Here, we would like to call on all kind-hearted people to further understand the facts of Falun Gong and the intrinsically evil nature of the CCP, so as to stop the persecution of Falun Gong."
As a witness to the persecution against Falun Gong, Benjiamin, said, "Before the persecution, I used to be a medical doctor in Beijing. I started my cultivation of Falun Gong in 1996, and have benefited a lot from it physically and mentally. Unfortunately, the Chinese regime began to launch this genocidal persecution in July 1999. I was arrested and illegally sent to forced labor camps five times because I practiced the Falun Gong exercises in the park, petitioned to the Appeal Office for justice for Falun Gong and exposed the atrocities of the persecution to the general public. I underwent cruel torture and brainwashing, and I also witnessed the persecution taking place around me. A young teacher, Zhao Xin was beaten until she suffered a fractured spine in the Haidian Detention Center. When I went to the hospital to see her, she was lying on a bed and couldn't move or speak. After undergoing extensive suffering for a couple of months, she passed away. Fellow practitioner Li Jingsheng and I were once confined in the same cell, but he was persecuted so seriously that he died shortly after being released from the forced labor camp at the age of 39. What I have experienced in the persecution is simply the tip of the iceberg. The seriousness of this evil persecution is far beyond what people can imagine. Today, I am standing here, proud of being a Falun Gong practitioner. The evil CCP will never escape the destiny of being eliminated by Heaven as it has committed the most heinous crimes. 'Good begets good, and evil leads to retribution' is the unchangeable natural law."
In his remarks, International Human Rights Association representative Mr. Ng said, "Many people know that China is the biggest market in the world. In fact, under the CCP rule, China has held many world records: the most serious human rights abuser, the most notorious country in terms of the number of journalist and writers being incarcerated, the only country that has persecuted over one hundred million Falun Gong practitioners, the only place where Falun Gong practitioners' organs are harvested and sold for profit and the regime that blocks information on the Internet the most seriously." He added, "We hope that the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners can be ended as soon as possible, and we support the 39 million Chinese quitting the CCP."
Volunteer for the Service Center for Quitting the CCP, Ms. Dai said that as more and more citizens in China are awakening, it has become a major trend for the Chinese people to denounce the CCP and its affiliated organizations. From the phone calls she receives every day from people asking to quit the CCP, she can tell that many people have further understood the CCP's deceptive, evil nature. In particular, after learning the facts about how the Chinese regime dealt with the earthquake disaster in Sichuan, they have come to know that what the CCP is really concerned about is maintaining its own power instead of its people's lives and livelihood. She said, "Currently, the number of the Chinese quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations is increasing day by day, sometimes reaching 50 to 60 thousand per day."
In an interview, Manyan Ng, Executive Director of the International Human Rights Association, said that the Chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong has extended overseas, and the approach they have taken is inciting a false sense of nationalism among the overseas Chinese. For instance, recently some Chinese were instigated by the Chinese Consulate to assault the volunteer workers at the Service Center for Quitting the CCP in Flushing, New York. The Chinese regime paid overseas mobs to make trouble with Falun Gong practitioners and even resort to violent attacks. As the Chinese regime has employed such despicable approaches to deal with peaceful and compassionate Falun Gong practitioners, it is very clear that while the regime may appear glorious outside, it is rotten inside.
Ms. Alexandra, a resident of Gothenburg, told a reporter in an interview, "I am not a Falun Gong practitioner, but I think that what Falun Gong practitioners have consistently done has to do with respect for human rights. I too would like to do something for the improvement of human rights in China."
