Helsinki, Finland: Introducing Falun Gong at Candlelight Vigil on Human Rights Day

(Minghui.org) Shoppers at the Kamppi shopping mall in the center of Helsinki, the capital of Finland, had the opportunity to learn about Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, on December 10, 2022, on Human Rights Day. 

Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil to commemorate fellow practitioners who lost their lives due to persecution in China for upholding their beliefs. Many passers-by stopped to watch, carefully read the text under the portraits, and signed the petition calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution.

Candlelight vigil beside the Kamppi shopping mall in Helsinki on December 10, 2022

A passer-by signs the petition calling for an end of the CCP’s persecution. 

Many people have learned about the poor human rights situation in China from newspapers. At first, a man did not believe that these atrocities would happen in China. After being given more information by a practitioner, the man understood and said that it was meaningful to do these awareness-raising activities in Finland. 

After learning the story of a Falun Gong practitioner who was persecuted in China because of his belief, fled China, and settled in Finland, four women shed tears and hugged the practitioners, wishing them all the best.

Some people took fliers and said they would read more about Falun Gong and the persecution when they got home. Some asked if there were any online petitions they could also sign. The practitioners told them that they could scan the QR code on the leaflet and sign online.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why is the CCP persecuting it?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.