(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners from the Greater Philadelphia area held a rally in Philadelphia’s Chinatown on August 26, 2023. They called for the disintegration of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and for an end to the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.
Several Falun Gong practitioners spoke during the rally about their experiences of being imprisoned in China because of their faith. A member of Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH) also spoke at the rally and condemned the CCP’s live organ harvesting – a crime against humanity.
During the rally, Falun Gong practitioners held banners calling for an end to the persecution. They distributed flyers to passersby, and collected signatures on a petition to stop the persecution.
The gathering drew the attention of many people, who stopped to listen to the speeches and expressed their support. At least 30 Chinese people renounced their membership in the CCP and its affiliated youth organizations during the event. There was also a Chinese passerby who gave an impromptu speech in English, denouncing the nature of the CCP.
Falun Gong practitioners hold a rally in Philadelphia’s Chinatown on August 26, 2023.
People sign the petition calling to stop the persecution in China.
DAFOH Member: The CCP’s Live Organ Harvesting Is a Crime Against Humanity
Dr. Jessica Russo, a member of DAFOH, spoke at the rally, exposing the CCP’s crime of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. She said that the CCP launched a large-scale persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, and since 2000, China’s organ transplantation system has developed rapidly. Labor camps, black jails, and prisons all detained Falun Gong practitioners, and the number of organ transplants in China has skyrocketed proportionally.
Jessica Russo, a member of DAFOH, condemned the CCP’s live organ harvesting during the rally.
In the United States, and other countries with voluntary donation systems, patients typically wait at least a year for an organ transplant. In China, however, it only takes a few weeks or even a few days to find a suitable organ, because there are tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned by the CCP, and their organs may be harvested at any time.
According to more than ten years of investigation by independent, internationally renowned experts, it is believed that 60,000 to 100,000 organ transplants are performed in China every year, and the main source of organs is Falun Gong practitioners. The number is much higher than that announced by the Chinese regime. The United States used to be the country with the largest number of organ transplants, performing about 45,000 transplants every year, but now China is the country with the largest number of transplants.
Dr. Russo said that live organ harvesting is rampant in hospitals across China. This crime against humanity was initiated and supervised by the CCP, and it is still going on today on a large scale. Dr. Russo called on people to stand up and help stop the CCP’s atrocities of organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience, such as by supporting the “Falun Gong Protection Act,” legislation that imposes sanctions on individuals involved in forced organ harvesting.
Impromptu Speech: The Demise of the CCP Is My Biggest Dream
Mr. Lin, a Chinese passerby, listened carefully to the speeches at the rally and signed a petition calling to stop the persecution of Falun Gong.
Mr. Lin said, “Such activities are very meaningful. Many people do not understand the nature of the CCP, including many Americans, because they have not experienced it.”
He expressed his support for Falun Gong practitioners persistence in raising awareness. “I support them because they are doing well,” he said. “We should do more. We must remind people not to trust the Communist Party. It says one thing and does another.”
Mr. Lin added, “I have a dream that one day the Communist Party will perish. This is my biggest dream. It has no humanity and no human rights.”
Afterwards, Mr. Lin took the microphone from the rally organizer and delivered a speech in English to the crowd.
“The Communist Party tramples on human rights,” Mr. Lin said. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom of assembly, and freedom of travel. These are the most basic rights of human beings. But under the CCP’s rule, these freedoms are nonexistent. The Communist Party tramples on all these rights.
“I passed by here today and was not prepared [to give a speech]. But I fortunately have the opportunity to share my views with you and expose the CCP’s nature. I speak from my own personal experience. I have lived under the communist totalitarian regime for 40 years. I have been through a lot. Please remember, never trust the Communist Party, never!”
Supporting Falun Gong
Dan, who works in the medical industry, said excitedly after receiving a small lotus flower from a Falun Gong practitioner, “When I went to Canada a few years ago, a Falun Gong practitioner gave me an equally beautiful lotus flower, which is still hanging on my backpack.”
He learned more about Falun Gong and signed the petition. “A lot of people participated in today’s rally,” Dan remarked. “It is peaceful and informative. I learned a lot about the nature of the CCP. I will go online to learn more. Americans should learn more about the CCP’s persecution of belief.”
Dan signs the petition calling to stop the persecution.
He commended Falun Gong practitioners, saying, “They are all very kind-hearted, firmly believe in their beliefs, and truly believe in ending the persecution. The right to freedom of belief is their most important thing. They are also really awakening the people.”
Hanna Lindstinn, secretary general of an educational union, had come to Philadelphia from Denmark for a meeting. She said she had never heard of Falun Gong before, so she was interested in the speeches at the rally.
Hanna Lindstinn from Denmark listens to a young practitioner talk about Falun Gong.
“I learned about the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, and I was very sad,” Ms. Lindstinn said. “I live in Denmark. It is hard for me to understand that people are persecuted because of their beliefs. I want to know more about what happened in China.”
After signing the petition, Ms. Lindstinn said, “I signed it because I think it [the persecution] is too wrong. Such persecution in a totalitarian country is too outrageous and inhumane. Live organ harvesting seems to be just a story in a movie, that happened in reality. It’s too cruel.”
She commended Falun Gong practitioners for persevering in raising awareness about the atrocities in China. “They have been holding banners quietly and never giving up. Over time, it will produce results and people will change,” Mr. Lindstinn said. “What I can do is to learn more about the persecution, and tell my colleagues and those around me.”
Mark Karpo, an attorney, signed the petition and spoke with a practitioner. “I saw Falun Gong practitioners outside the Chinese Consulate in New York. As an immigration lawyer, I know that the CCP has persecuted Falun Gong for more than 20 years,” he said. “I sympathize with Falun Gong and support their gathering here and raising awareness.”
Attorney Mark Karpo signed the petition.
“I've heard of the CCP’s organ harvesting from living practitioners. It is terrible. It is good for them to raise awareness here,” Mr. Karpo said.
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