Flag Raised to Celebrate World Falun Dafa Day in Amherstburg, Canada

(Minghui.org) A Falun Dafa flag was raised in front of the Town Hall in Amherstburg Canada at 11 am on May 5, 2023, to commemorate World Falun Dafa Day on May 13. Amherstburg was the second city to host a ceremony to raise a Falun Dafa flag. Mayor Michael Prue, 75, hosted the ceremony and read his proclamation. He and other councilors then learned the Falun Dafa exercises from practitioners.

It had rained for several days in Amherstburg. But on the day of the flag-raising, it was warm and sunny. Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb was happy to see practitioners and said that they brought good weather and blessings to the city. He was very thankful to the practitioners.

Amherstburg commended Falun Dafa for the sixth consecutive year and raised a Falun Dafa flag for the second consecutive year

Supporting Falun Dafa for the 24^th Consecutive Year and Opposing CCP’s Persecution

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started the unprecedented brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in July 1999, and its lies deceived people worldwide. Mayor Prue was one of the first public officials to openly support Falun Dafa after he learned the truth. He has continuously stood up against the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners.

During the flag-raising ceremony, he said that he learned that the CCP was suppressing Falun Dafa about 24 years ago and persecuting people who simply had their own belief.

As the previous mayor and a city councilor for East York, he made speeches in the Ontario Legislature to tell the legislators about the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. He believes that the world needs to know that in China people are followed, imprisoned, tortured, and persecuted for their belief. People need to know the cruelty of the CCP.

He expressed his view after learning that a family member of a conservative congressman was harassed by the CCP. He watched a television report which said that Michael D Chong, an MP of the Conservative Party, spoke up for the vulnerable Uyghur group, and a family member of his in Hong Kong was harassed by the CCP. Falun Dafa practitioners are given the same treatment. Exposing the CCP’s atrocities requires courage. He highly praised Falun Dafa practitioners’ courage. He was very proud that he had boycotted the CCP in Amherstburg and said he would continue to do so.

When he first arrived in Amherstburg, he was not a city councilor. But when he saw that there was a flag-raising ceremony for Falun Dafa on Falun Dafa Day on the council meeting agenda, he stood up in the meeting and told the mayor that it was remarkable that Amherstburg raised a flag for Falun Dafa just like a big city and continued doing so each year. He appreciated that they put words into action.

Mayor Reads Proclamation and Host Flag Raising Ceremony

Mayor Prue introduced deputy mayor Chris Gibb, councilor Molly Allaire, and councilor Linden Crain before the ceremony. They came to celebrate the occasion as well.

Mayor Michael Prue reads proclamation.

Proclamation issued by Michael Prue, mayor of the Amherstburg Council

After the mayor finished reading the proclamation, he and the practitioners stood beside the flagpole watching the Falun Dafa flag raise slowly. When the flag reached the top, a round of applause erupted. Seven council members and the Falun Dafa practitioners celebrated this sacred moment together.

Mayor Michael Prue (4^th on the right) and Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb (2^nd on the right) and other councilors with practitioners

Mayor Prue: “I Will Practice Falun Dafa Exercises More”

After the ceremony, one of the mayor’s assistants said that she had heard about Falun Dafa but had never practiced it. She suggested that they learn the exercises from practitioners since so many practitioners were present. The mayor agreed and started to learn the first four sets of exercises from a practitioner with six councilors and his assistant.

The mayor and councilors learn the first set of Falun Dafa exercises “Buddha Showing a Thousand Hands”

The mayor and councilors learn the third set of Falun Dafa exercises “Penetrating the Two Cosmic Extremes”

Mayor Prue came to know practitioners 24 years ago, but this was his first time learning the exercises. He was grateful to practitioners for teaching them the exercise movements. He said that he and his colleagues enjoyed the exercises. He felt his body was stretched and his mind was peaceful. He said that he learned the exercises attentively because he wanted his movements to be as correct as possible.

After he learned the exercises, he said he understood why so many people practiced Falun Dafa. He had seen practitioners practice the exercises near Town Hall in Toronto and at the legislative Departments in Ontario. He felt comfortable after doing the exercises. He said that he would practice the exercises often.

He agreed that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are universal values and everyone should comply with these principles. He said that we should speak the truth, be tolerant, have compassion for vulnerable people and people who are suffering and that Falun Dafa teaches people these qualities. He reckoned that these principles were truth and everyone should accept them. He himself was very receptive to those values.

Carolyn Jin came to know the mayor 24 years ago. She said Mayor Prue was one of the first politicians to speak up for Falun Dafa.

On the occasion of celebrating the 31 ^st anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the world, Mayor Prue would like to encourage practitioners to be firm in their belief and to not fear difficulties, because the persecution will stop and practitioners will succeed and the world will know their efforts and sacrifices made life much better.

He hopes that the practitioners will continue doing things they deem right. He believed the persecution will stop one day and the persecutors will realize what they did was wrong. He sincerely hoped that Chinese people could have freedom from that day on.