(Minghui.org) Practitioners from all over Europe held a rally and parade in Bratislava on August 5, 2023, calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 24-year-long persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). The event was held on Hviezdoslav Square with practitioners from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and other European countries participating.
Mr. František Mikloško, former chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, and Mr. Peter Osuský, member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, came to show their support and gave speeches.
The parade set off from Hviezdoslav Square, wound through the streets of the Old Town along Panská, Ventúrská and Michalská Streets, then down Hlavné námestie and Rybné námestie, back to Hviezdoslav Square.
Practitioners from all over Europe held a rally and parade in Bratislava on August 5, calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa.
The procession was led by the Tian Guo Marching Band and included practitioners from more than 10 European countries. Next came the section introducing Falun Dafa and its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. The third section's theme told people about the persecution and commemorated practitioners in China who died due to the persecution. The last section celebrated over 400 million Chinese people have chosen to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. A dragon dance accompanied the last section, symbolizing the courage of the Chinese people.
Former National Council Chairman: Falun Gong Will Bring Peace and Hope to the New China
Mr. František Mikloško is a former chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and was a dissident during the former Czechoslovakian Communist regime.
Mr. František Mikloško, former chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic.
Mr. Mikloško compared the Falun Dafa practitioners in China to the nuns in Communist Czechoslovakia, who were also persecuted for their faith. Although the nuns were banned for more than 30 years, they eventually regained their rightful place. Mr. Mikloško hopes that Falun Dafa practitioners will find the same success in China.
“[The CCP] today boasts of its enormous economic success.” he said. “But I am convinced that China [the CCP] will one day understand that all this power, all this consumerism, and all this wealth is incredibly empty and will have to be filled with something spiritual, something peaceful.
“Let us hope that Falun Gong will endure and that it will be one of those [groups] who will bring peace and hope to the new China that will no longer be based on material things, on violence, and on wealth.”
Mr. Miklosko expressed his solidarity with the practitioners in China and the friends of Falun Dafa. He expressed his determination to continue to stand with Falun Dafa and to tell people in Slovakia about the persecution. He called on his fellow Slovakians to do the same.
“We must be in solidarity with our brothers who suffer because they practice Falun Gong. Freedom [of faith] is not negotiable. Falun Gong brings peace and reconciliation and it is incomprehensible that Communist China persecutes these completely innocent, decent people,” he said.
Member of Parliament: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Are the Values All Humans Should Aspire to
Mr. Peter Osusky, Member of Parliament in the National Council of the Slovak Republic
Mr. Peter Osusky, a Member of Parliament in the National Council of the Slovak Republic, has overseen foreign policy issues during his decade-long tenure. The persecution of Falun Dafa has been a prominent issue. He told Slovakians in his speech, “It is our human duty to care even about things that seem far away.”
He told the practitioners attending the event, “The values that you have written on the backs of your windbreakers [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance] are the values all humans should aspire to. One does not have to be a practitioner to understand that this [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance] is the better world. It is the duty of people to care for those who are the better world [when they are] surrounded by evil.”
Mr. Osusky also said he was worried for the tens of millions of practitioners who are still in China today. “I am even more concerned about the fate of people who are purposely imprisoned, tortured, and, in extreme cases, have their organs forcibly removed by a criminal, criminal regime,” he said.
He said that by kowtowing to the gross domestic product of countries that violate human rights, as documented in the case of the Third Reich, the democratic world is breeding a most dangerous enemy in the CCP. He also said that it was appropriate for democratic politicians to remember to remind other countries of the danger in strengthening these unethical countries by doing business with them.
In closing, Mr. Osusky expressed his determination to continue to support good people like Falun Dafa practitioners.
Son Seeks Help to Free Father Persecuted in China
Mr. Marek Tatarko, representative of the Slovak Falun Gong Association, explained the origins of the persecution in China.
“It has been 24 years since the persecution of Falun Gong, a meditation discipline based on the universal principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, began in China on 20 July 1999. At that time, a statistical survey by the Chinese government showed that around 100 million people practiced Falun Gong, which was more than the number of members of the Chinese Communist Party. The then-Chinese president felt threatened by this, so, out of envy, he decided to destroy Falun Gong,” he said.
Mr. Ding Lebin (left) spoke in the event.
Mr. Ding Lebin, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Berlin, described the recent persecution his parents were subjected to in China. He said they were illegally arrested when they were working in their own tea field on May 12, 2023. His mother, Ma Ruimei, was released on bail, while his father, Ding Yuande, remains in prison.
He stressed the importance of informing people about the human rights situation in China, as such actions can help improve the situation of the persecuted and lead to their release.
Mr. Ding appealed to international society, “Please help to free Falun Dafa practitioners in China.”
Parade to Raise Awareness of the Persecution, Public Support
Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises on Hviezdoslav Square.
People sign the petition calling for an end to the persecution.
Practitioners demonstrated the exercises on Hviezdoslav Square after the parade, told people about Falun Dafa, and collected signatures on a petition that calls for an end to the persecution. Many people expressed their support for their efforts.
A man who stopped by the event wished them success and stressed that what they were doing was “very important” and that they should persist in telling the world about this persecution.
Two tourists from the Netherlands asked what was going on. After learning about the CCP’s suppression, one of them said that the practitioners were, “doing a good thing” and hoped their efforts would be successful.
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