(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Montreal held a rally in Chinatown on April 28, 2024, to commemorate the 25^th Anniversary of the April 25 Peaceful Appeal and call for the international community to help end the persecution of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) in China. 

Practitioners in Montreal held a rally to commemorate the April 25 Appeal.

Many people were attracted by the Tian Guo Marching Band’s performances and practitioners’ exercise demonstrations. They stopped and watched, and signed the petition after they learned about Falun Dafa and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) persecution of practitioners in China. Many people said they appreciated the practitioners’ courage and praised them for exposing the CCP’s atrocities and bringing hope to the world.

Restoring the Historical Facts and Calling People to Stay Away from the CCP

Practitioners gave speeches in Chinese, English and French and talked about what really happened on April 25, 1999. They said that practitioners comply with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and they are fearless against tyranny; they have established an eternal moral compass for people. 

Representative of practitioners talked about the appeal in Beijing on April 25, 1999. 

On April 25, 1999, ten thousand practitioners went to the State Council’s Petition Office near Zhongnanhai central government compound in Beijing to seek justice for Falun Gong. They requested that the illegally detained practitioners in Tianjing be released, that Falun Gong books be allowed to be published legally, and that Falun Gong practitioners be provided a legal environment in which to practice. They remained peaceful and orderly. They picked up everything on the ground including the cigarette butts that policemen discarded. 

The international community praised this event as “the most large-scale and rational peaceful appeal” in China. However, several months later, the CCP claimed practitioners besieged Zhongnanhai and launched the brutal persecution of Falun Gong. The persecution is still happening in China. 

The practitioner also said that more and more people have become aware of the CCP’s true nature and that everyone is facing the choice of good or evil in this crucial historic moment. They called for people to choose kindness and stay away from the CCP and evil, and they encouraged Chinese people to withdraw the CCP and its affiliated organizations. 

Western Practitioner: The Spirit of April 25 Appeal Will Encourage Future Generations

John Halas, a Western Falun Dafa practitioner, was very moved when he heard that ten thousand practitioners came and left quietly during the April 25 Appeal, and only people with high moral values could do this. People often asked him why practitioners could be so peaceful in their activities against the CCP’s persecution. He told them that because practitioners comply with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, they gain peaceful power as a result. 

People Admire and Support Practitioners

Many people stopped and watched the rally, and talked to practitioners. Hanna, a project manager, signed the petition to support Falun Dafa when she learned about the CCP’s crime of organ harvesting. She said that she appreciated practitioners’ way of opposing the persecution, which was different from other groups. They don’t use violence but rather share the facts with people and awaken their awareness. This is the most peaceful way, and she supported practitioners. 

People sign the petition to support practitioners after they learn the facts about Falun Dafa.

Maxim, a TV actor, talked with the practitioners. He said that he was attracted by the practitioners’ courage. He knew that the CCP’s long arm had reached overseas. He was impressed by the huge courage Falun Dafa practitioners displayed when they exposed the CCP’s atrocities. 

Hung, a Vietnamese immigrant, said that practitioners spread the messages which was a good thing, and that the CCP did great harm to the world. He believes that the wider the message spreads, the more hopeful the world will be. He said that Falun Dafa practitioners were very courageous. Facing the CCP’s infiltration and surveillance, they risked their lives to expose the CCP’s evil doings. He hopes that practitioners will keep it up and never give up.