(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners held a parade and activities in Chinatown, downtown Toronto on June 29, 2024 to celebrate 430 million people who have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. At the same time, they called on the CCP to end the 25-year long brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China.
The parade lasted for one hour and 30 minutes. Passersby and shop owners were amazed by the scale of the parade contingent. Some ran out of their shops to take photos with their mobile phones, while others approached practitioners to find out what they were doing. Many people gave them a thumbs up, saying: “This is great!” and, “We support you!” Visitors from China agreed to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations after receiving a flier and hearing about the persecution.
Practitioners held a parade in Toronto to celebrate the 430 million people who have withdrawn from the CCP.
Gonzalo wanted to congratulate the 430 million people who have withdrawn from the CCP.
Gonzalo is from Peru, but now lives in Canada. He was walking through the park where practitioners were holding a rally, and a practitioner offered him a flier. The practitioner explained that the parade and rally were held to celebrate the 430 million people who have quit the CCP. Gonzalo said, “I did not know much about the CCP before, and your explanation is meaningful. The regime forbids people from freedom of belief and thought. It’s a dictatorship.”
He continued, “What’s regretful is that many countries continue to trade with China, and this makes it hard for governments to cut ties with the CCP. It’s important that you let people know what the CCP is. So many people have quit the CCP, congratulations!”
He added, “The principles of Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, can help people become better, this is excellent. I will go online to find out more about the practice.”
Myron (left) and Joanna (right) think the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance are what society needs right now.
The parade caught Myron and Joanna’s attention. A practitioner gave them a flier and told them the purpose of the parade. Joanna said, “The practitioner’s explanation helped me understand what Falun Dafa is and the crimes CCP has committed throughout its history. I’m delighted to know your efforts to uphold justice.” Myron added, “In today’s society, things that reverse black and white happen frequently, yet you stand out to tell people the truth and uphold justice. This is an eye-opener.”
Joanna said, “When I see the three words Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, I recall how my elders used to teach us similar values. However, as time passed and with pressures in life, these are forgotten by people. Therefore it’s important to return to these principles. I saw some kids in the parade as well. It’s great, these values must be handed down.” Myron said, “Toronto needs these values especially. The city operates around commercial activity, and people tend to pay attention to themselves. We need to remind one another to spend more time thinking of others.”
Joanna also expressed support for the parade’s theme, which exposes the persecution, “Thank you so much for your efforts, I will tell friends and relatives and ask them to sign the petition online to stop the atrocities.”
Raul Guilas is from the Philippines and works in an office in Chinatown. He saw the banners in the parade through the window and knew the event was about ending the CCP. He came out to ask for some fliers. He said he wanted to put them in the reception area so that more people would know about the regime’s evil deeds.
He told practitioners, “I’m against violence, and all righteous belief is against violence. I believe with our joint efforts, we can break up the CCP. I also hope that Falun Gong practitioners will continue to fight for their belief.”
Carmen from Montreal brought her family to Toronto for vacation and saw the parade.
She said, “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance are values I follow. I also teach my children to be honest, so I was thrilled when I saw you safeguarding and passing down the same values. I’m touched to see so many people come together and standing up bravely for justice. I hope more people do that and expose all the evil deeds taking place in the world. I support you.”
Mr. Du, 73, is from Tianjin, China. He is a martial arts instructor. He kept watching the parade and nodded his head in approval. He told practitioners, “The CCP killed countless Chinese people and destroyed traditional Chinese culture, so it’s heaven’s will that it collapses.”
He said, “I know very well how evil the CCP is. I have a friend in China who is a Christian. He was only 46, young and strong, but he was thrown into prison and we were told he died six months later. We later learned his organs were stolen. They don’t want bad organs, and I know it is true the CCP is taking organs from Falun Gong practitioners.”
Mr. Ren, who is from Taiyuan, China, shouted at the parade contingent while holding a newspaper that explains the persecution: “Falun Dafa is great!You are amazing! Everyone should shout out loud: I support you! Thank you!”
A practitioner approached Ms. Lin from Fujian, who was watching the parade, and told her, “It’s a blessing to be able to come overseas. You cannot see such peaceful parades protesting against the persecution in China.” Ms. Lin replied, “Indeed, they only spread rumors in China.” The practitioner went on to tell her about organ harvesting and asked her to quit the CCP. She agreed to withdraw from the Young Pioneers and the Youth League under an alias.