(Minghui.org) Practitioners in the greater Los Angeles area held a candlelight vigil and rally in front of the Chinese Consulate on the evening of April 23, 2023, to mark the 24^th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal in Beijing. They protested the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), commemorated practitioners who died due to the persecution and called for an end to the brutality

Practitioners in the greater Los Angeles area held a candlelight vigil and rally in front of the Chinese Consulate on the evening of April 23, 2023.

Wu Yingnian, the spokesperson of the Los Angeles Falun Dafa Association, addressed the rally.

Los Angeles Falun Dafa Association spokesman, Professor Wu Yingnian of the University of California, Los Angeles, said, “We come here every year to commemorate the April 25 Appeal. Falun Dafa practitioners have always upheld a peaceful and rational approach, and have never had any radical or hateful speech or behavior. There was absolutely no violence of any kind.”

Mr. Wu said, “The April 25 Appeal did not cause the persecution. The CCP had already started arresting practitioners. Practitioners appealed to stop the persecution. In fact, we have no political agenda.”

“The tide of quitting the CCP promoted by Falun Dafa practitioners lets people see the nature of the CCP and stop cooperating with it. This has nothing to do with political parties or politics. We are not an opposition party.”

Practitioners’ Request to Stop the Persecution Remains Unchanged

Dr. Li Youfu, Director of Southwest US Falun Dafa Association

From 1999 to the present, the CCP’s persecution has continued for 24 years, and it has become even more covert. However, practitioners’ appeal to end the persecution has not changed. Dr. Li said, “We are standing here today, as we were 24 years ago. With the same peace, tranquility, civilization, and kindness, we tell the truth to the world and show people the beauty of Falun Dafa.”

He praised practitioners in China for their great compassion and forbearance. He said they are not afraid of persecution and care for the common people. “Thousands of practitioners have awakened countless people’s consciences in these long 24 years. They have clearly recognized the nature of the CCP.”

The CCP’s Persecution Is Ongoing

Tang Rui (right), a Falun Gong practitioner from Deyang, Sichuan, China, demanded the immediate release of her father and all detained practitioners.

Falun Gong practitioner Tang Rui came to the United States from Sichuan Province four years ago. Ms. Tang’s father, Tang Lirong, is a practitioner. He was persecuted by the CCP because of his belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

She said, “On the morning of April 2, 2020, when my father was at work, officers from the Criminal Police Brigade and the police from the Kaijiang Road Police Station rushed into his office. He was slapped twice and handcuffed on the spot. The police ransacked his home and confiscated my father’s ID card and passport.

“My father was sentenced to four years and six months in prison by the Jingyang District Court of Deyang City and fined 40,000 yuan (US $5,775) in February this year. Practitioner Zhao Jie who was arrested at the same time was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined 100,000 yuan (US $14,437).

“I strongly protest the illegal sentencing, fines, and persecution of my father by the National Security Brigade of the Deyang City Public Security Bureau and the relevant court. I strongly demand the immediate release of my father and all Falun Gong practitioners who are detained.”

Condemning the CCP’s Atrocity of Organ Harvesting

Dana Churchill, Representative for Doctors Against Organ Harvesting Alliance in America, addressed the rally.

Dr. Dana Churchill, a Southern California representative for Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, pointed out in his speech, “These Chinese organ transplant centers earn billions of dollars every year. How do they repay the karma accumulated due to greed? The future will see the outcome.”

Righteous People Call for an End to the Persecution

Huang Jianbin, Vice Chairman of the Los Angeles Branch of China Democracy Party, speaks at the rally.

Huang Jianbin, Vice Chairman of the Los Angeles branch of the China Democracy Party, said at the rally, “The Falun Gong I know teaches people to cultivate their bodies and improve their moral standards. Among practitioners, there are many senior intellectuals such as professors and doctors from universities, as well as people from various fields and elites from all walks of life. They all have a very high level of education and cognitive ability, and they have personally benefited from the practice of Falun Dafa.”

He also said, “The CCP itself is a cult, but it abuses its power to slander good people. It persecutes Falun Gong just because it fears its popularity. It uses the state propaganda machine to fabricate false news, stigmatize Falun Gong, and it staged the Tiananmen self-immolation incident to defame Falun Gong. The CCP violated its own constitution. This is a political persecution and crime that seriously violates human rights.”

Chinese lawyer Ms. Zeng speaks at the rally.

Ms. Zeng, a lawyer from Hubei Province, said, “Practitioners' requests on April 25 were very simple. They asked to allow the legal publication of Falun Gong books and to have a legal practice environment. However, there is no freedom of religious belief under the CCP.” She appealed to righteous people to help end the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa as soon as possible.