Finland: Rally and March in Helsinki Mark 25 Years of Persecution

(Minghui.org) To commemorate the 25th anniversary of their efforts to expose the persecution in China, Falun Dafa practitioners held a rally and march at the Kamppi Shopping Center Square in the capital, Helsinki on Saturday, July 6, 2024. For more than two decades the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted the spiritual discipline, including harvesting organs from practitioners.

Many people were shocked to learn of the persecution, and they signed petitions condemning the CCP, and calling for an end to the persecution as soon as possible.

Practitioners did the Falun Dafa exercises before the march.

Many passersby stopped by the event to learn more.

Sinikka Suontakanen, the spokesperson for the Finnish Falun Dafa Association, made a speech. Some Chinese practitioners described how they and their family members were persecuted in China.

During the rally, a middle-aged Finnish man removed his hat and placed it on his chest to express his respect for the practitioners.

Practitioners held a rally in Kamppi.

Sinikka Suontakanen, spokesperson for the Finnish Falun Dafa Association, gives a speech.

The march that day had three different themes. The first section introduced Falun Dafa, mainly featuring banners with messages such as “Falun Dafa in Finland” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

The second section exposed the CCP’s persecution, with banners displaying messages about stopping organ harvesting and commemorating practitioners who were persecuted to death.

The third section called to end the persecution and disintegrate the CCP.

Different themes of the march.

The march attracted a lot of attention, and from time to time, people in the crowd could be heard loudly reading “Falun Dafa” and “Falun Gong.”

The march started from the Kamppi Shopping Center, passed through Helsinki’s main thoroughfare, Mannerheimintie, the famous shopping center Aleksanterinkatu, Helsinki Cathedral, Pohjoisesplanadi, and other landmark locations in the capital, and ended in front of the Finnish Parliament House.

March through the North Marina Art Center Park.

Practitioners marched past the Helsinki Cathedral.

The march ended in front of the Parliament building.

You Are Doing a Great Job!

As the march passed the North Shore Art Center Park, a lady saw the words on the banner about stopping organ harvesting. She expressed her sympathy and support for the practitioners and exclaimed, “Thank you! Thank you!”

A lady expressed her support.

As the march passed by the Aleksanterinkatu shopping center, a car stopped in the middle of the road. The driver shouted to the practitioners, “What’s going on?” After reading the flyer a practitioner handed him, he gave a thumbs-up and loudly said, “This is a good thing! This is a good thing!”

The march ended at the Finnish Parliament House. Two ladies came to learn about what had happened. When they learned about the persecution involving organ harvesting, they were very shocked. As they left, they pressed their hands together to express their gratitude to the practitioners.

When the march concluded, a police officer who accompanied the march told practitioners, “Thank you; you did a great job!”

People Sign the Petition

Many people signed the petition after seeing the portraits of practitioners who were persecuted to death. A local resident, Mikko, said, “This is what the CCP has done, and it’s a huge mistake!”

A Finnish lady, who saw the portraits from a distance, came over to sign the petition. She said her daughter saw a similar event while travelling in the Netherlands and she learned about the persecution of Falun Dafa, “My daughter told me about this when she returned. This is absolutely unbelievable. Truly evil and appalling! As soon as I saw this, I wanted to sign. I must sign.”

She also said, “End the CCP, I know. No one in the world likes it.”

Many people came to sign the petition.

One young man told the practitioners, “I knew about live organ harvesting. I knew it was going on in China, but I didn’t know it is this bad.” He talked to the practitioners for almost half an hour and asked more questions.

Jussi Keskitalo signed the petition. He said, “Everything the CCP does is wrong, they only want to get benefits for themselves. It is absolutely necessary to end communism.”

Teacher from Taiwan: Love China, Not the CCP

A teacher from Taiwan Ms. Qui was visiting Europe during her summer vacation. When she saw practitioners wearing yellow t-shirts, she said, “There are many Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan, and I often sympathize with what you are going through and support you!”

She agreed that China is not the same as the CCP, “The CCP has infiltrated Taiwan very much. As a teacher I am worried, we have to guard Taiwan. we don’t want to be the next Hong Kong. We love China and its traditional culture, not the CCP.” She also signed the petition.

“The World Needs More Activities Like This.”

A practitioner told eighty-year-old Matti how another practitioner who was there was persecuted. When he heard about the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, he immediately said, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s it, that’s good! I believe in God. Unfortunately, people nowadays don’t believe in the existence of God. We have to have hope; I envy you guys. I think the same way as you do. There needs to be more activities like this all over the world, every little bit helps.”

A woman from Nigeria who lives in Helsinki said, “I usually don’t just sign anything, but I must sign this petition. How can they [the CCP] deprive others of their most basic rights?”