(Minghui.org) On May 14, the day after the Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in New York, 800 practitioners from Taiwan and the greater New York area demonstrated the exercises and arranged themselves into large Chinese characters in Gantry Park.
Practitioners from Taiwan and the greater New York area formed large Chinese and English characters in Gantry Park.
The Chinese characters read “Righteous Law.”
Gantry Plaza State Park is located on the East River in Queens. The headquarters of the United Nations is across the river.
Ms. Yi, the organizer, invited local citizens to join in the exercises and support the peaceful resistance against the persecution. “Falun Dafa has positive effects on the body and mind. We invite people from all over the world to join us,” she said.
Zali Reza, a local doctor, watched the exercises with his wife for a long time. He asked practitioners details about the persecution. Dr. Reza was shocked to learn of the Chinese government's practice of harvesting organs from living practitioners.
Dr. Reza noted that Falun Gong practitioners are peaceful. He said, “It is very important for the world to know what they are doing. Forced organ harvesting is immoral and illegal. I support Falun Gong. Their activities are valuable.”
Armano Chazez, a local chef, also watched practitioners' activities for a long time. He said to the reporter, “Their exercises and character-forming are beautiful. I know that meditation is beneficial to physical and mental health. It can purify one's soul.
“Maybe many people practice Falun Gong at home. But a public event like this one is better, because more people can see it. They should hold more events like this in public parks.”
Mr. Wang and Mr. Lin, two Chinese migrants, were walking in the park and stopped by to talk to practitioners. Mr. Wang said, “We often support Falun Gong's events. We sometimes even help them to pass out flyers. We know that Falun Gong is good, so we want more people to know about it.”
Mr. Lin said, “There is no freedom in China. The Chinese government can attack whoever they want. We enjoy freedom here, and Falun Gong practitioners can hold events like this in public. They express themselves in such peaceful ways. That is great.”