Flushing, New York: Grand Rally Commemorates Peaceful Appeal 25 Years Ago in Beijing

(Minghui.org) After the grand march in Flushing, New York, on April 21, Falun Gong practitioners and supporters held a large rally on Kissena Boulevard next to the Flushing Library to commemorate the peaceful appeal in Beijing 25 years ago. They praised practitioners for their courage in safeguarding their faith, and for exposing the crimes against humanity by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They urged people to reject the CCP for a better future.

During the rally, community leaders and human rights advocates thanked practitioners for their perseverance, and recent immigrants from China thanked practitioners for their persistent efforts. Twenty-four people quit the CCP organizations during the event and added their names to the list of more than 429 million Chinese who have severed ties with the regime.

Falun Dafa Information Center: Reviewing History and Calling for Conscience

Falun Dafa Information Center spokesperson Zhang Erping

Zhang Erping, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Information Center, explained that 10,000 practitioners went to the State Appeals Office in Beijing on April 25, requesting the release of 45 practitioners who’d been arrested in nearby Tianjin two days earlier. “After the CCP began to suppress Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, millions of practitioners were mistreated, and thousands of them lost their lives for their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” he said. “Although the freedoms of belief and expression are respected throughout the entire world, Falun Gong practitioners are severely persecuted in their birthplace, China.

“I hope more people can join the effort to bringing this nightmare to an end,” he said.

Quitting the CCP for a Better Future

From the time Falun Gong was first suppressed in 1999, practitioners have worked hard to tell people the facts while exposing the CCP’s brutality, said Yi Zhongyuan, president of the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP. Since the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party in 2004, many people have seen the CCP’s true nature, and 429 million have renounced their memberships in the organizations affiliated with the regime.

In the 25 years that have since passed, the CCP has not only failed to defeat Falun Gong, but its behavior has let more people see just how vicious the Party really is. This is because Falun Gong and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are what our society needs. “Following our conscience and rejecting the CCP will lead us to a better future, regardless if we are Chinese or citizens in the free world,” she added.

Community Leader: Courage and Persistence

Martha Flores-Vazquez, a Democratic district leader from Queens, spoke at the rally.

Democratic district leader Martha Flores-Vazquez said she was happy to hear that 429 million Chinese have severed ties with the CCP. She was also glad that many spectators attended the march earlier that day.

She said she was emotional whenever she attended such events. “I’m crying because we need to end the persecution. It needs to stop—families are divided and organs are harvested while people are alive,” she said. She also thanked the hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners in the rally for their perseverance and strength.

Safeguarding Basic Rights

Fred Newcomb, honorary chairman for the World Human Accountability Organization of the United Nations

“Whether [in] China, the United States, or countries around the world, the celebration against tyranny and oppression is always well founded and deserved,” said Fred Newcomb, honorary chairman for the World Human Accountability Organization of the United Nations.

This is consistent with the spirit of America, a country founded on the pursuit for freedom. “I’m a citizen of a country that goes around the world fighting for other countries, putting the lives of our soldiers on the line, people who die for us and those countries,” he said in an interview. ”I think I feel fairly strongly about it.”

Cecilia Crowley, managing director at the investment company Newcomb and Associates, addressed the rally.

Newcomb joined the event with his wife Cecilia Crowley, managing director at the investment company Newcomb and Associates. She described those who withdrew from the CCP as “warriors.”

“It’s almost like the fish swimming upstream. But they’re peaceful warriors. They’re not trying to hurt anyone. They’re just trying to live in a truthful way. Who could hurt truth, or who could hate truth?” she added. This is important because the CCP has been gradually destroying the, “beauty and splendor of China and her traditional culture.”

Human Rights Advocate: I Salute Those Who Attended the Appeal

Chen Chuangchuang, lawyer and executive director of the China Democratic Party National Committee

The CCP viewed the peaceful appeal in 1999 as the most serious threat to its power since the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, said Chen Chuangchuang, lawyer and executive director of the China Democratic Party National Committee. In fact, then CCP leader Jiang Zemin expected to eradicate Falun Gong within three months when he launched the persecution that year.

In these 25 years, however, Falun Gong has continued to flourish and is now practiced in over 100 countries. This is because practitioners have faith and Falun Gong is beyond politics. Chen said he saluted those who participated in the peaceful appeal 25 years ago.

New Immigrants Grateful

Gong Kai from Anhui Province, China

Gong Kai from Anhui Province said he almost died before he was born under the CCP’s “one child policy.” He said he was systematically brainwashed by the CCP from the time he was a child. Fortunately, in college he was given software, called Freegate, developed by Falun Gong practitioners to circumvent the Internet blockade and he was able to access overseas information. He recommended the software to many friends and asked them to quit the CCP organizations.

Gong Kai said he had been “living in a fake world” for 20 years until he read the facts on Minghui, the Epoch Times, and other media channels. He thanked Falun Gong practitioners for their efforts and said the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are critical for our society.

Cai Yuanxing, a former CCP member, said that he would use his personal experience to awaken Chinese people.

“As a Chinese saying goes, ‘Everyone gives a shove to a falling wall,’” he said. “The Communist Party is very weak now. All that’s left is one last straw.”

Chen Weijie from Jiangxi Province said he always viewed Falun Gong practitioners as friends. Before he left China, he wrote “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” all over.

Although not a practitioner himself, he strongly supports the practice. “I know Falun Gong is what the CCP fears the most,” he explained. “The CCP is the world’s biggest crime syndicate... Whatever the CCP fears the most, that is what I want to do.”

Li Xinyan said she heard about saying “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” from a NTD program during the COVID pandemic when she was in China. She would repeat the phrases when she encountered dangerous situations on her way to the United States. She credited the phrases for giving her strength and making her feel safe.

The rally ended with the Tian Guo Marching Band playing “Triumph” to encourage people to uphold their principles and listen to their conscience.