Canberra, Australia: Practitioners in Canberra Held a Candlelight Vigil to Mark 25 Years of Persecution by CCP

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners worldwide are holding activities to mark the 25 years of persecution by the Chinese regime. The practitioners in Canberra gathered outside the Chinese Embassy on the evening of July 19, 2024 to hold a candlelight vigil in memory of Falun Gong practitioners who have been persecuted to death in China, and to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) crimes against humanity. They called for the Australian government to urge the CCP regime to stop the persecution and release all detained Falun Gong practitioners immediately.

Some Falun Gong practitioners set up a booth in the Canberra city center on July 20 to give out Falun Gong brochures, which tell people the facts about Falun Gong. They demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises and collected signatures on petitions calling on the Australia government to help end the persecution in China which has lasted for 25 years.

Practitioners in Canberra held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy on the evening of July 19, 2024.

Falun Gong practitioners in Canberra demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises in the city center on July 20th, 2024.

People signed a petition asking for support for the practitioners bringing an end to the persecution.

Ma Li, a Falun Gong spokesperson in Canberra, said, “The Jiang Zemin clique representing the CCP launched a political campaign against Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. The CCP has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners who follow the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance for the past 25 years. It violates the law and commits crimes.”

She called on CCP members and government officials to stop the persecution immediately and make up the losses they have caused to Falun Gong practitioners. She said that they would inevitably face legal judgment, accountability, and sanctions, and would receive heavenly retribution and punishment. She reminded people that any religious persecution throughout history has never succeeded regardless of how strong it seemed at the time.

She said, “Despite of the risk, Falun Gong practitioners in China and abroad keep raising awareness about the persecution without any regret during the past 25 years. They unite by their belief in following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. No matter how brutal the persecution is, they are firm in their belief and never give up. They expose the CCP lies about Falun Gong and spread Falun Gong to every corner of the world.”

A University Student Admires Falun Gong Practitioners for Their Peace and Rationality

Jaspu Lee, a university student in Canberra

Jaspu Lee is a university student in Canberra, who grew up in America. His parents are overseas Chinese. He said that he learned about Falun Gong in America. He knew that Falun Gong has spread throughout the entire world. When he saw Falun Gong, he also saw the three words “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.” He said that Falun Gong practitioners were always polite and peaceful even though they faced such a dreadful persecution, and they stayed positive even though they had gone through very challenging times and faced difficult issues. They were peaceful and rational, which not everyone can do.

He said that it was shocking and disgusting that the CCP continued persecuting Falun Gong practitioners and even performed organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. He knew that Falun Gong practitioners were practicing cultivation and were not against the government, and that they were only pursuing their belief which benefits society. He said that a government shouldn’t interfere with or persecute a peaceful cultivation group.

He said he believed that most of Chinese people wouldn’t agree with what the CCP has done.

Registered Nurse: Australian Government Should Help End the Persecution

Andrew White, a registered nurse, said that he was concerned given the organ harvesting issue. He learned that after Falun Gong was persecuted, the organ transplant cases in China soared from a few hundreds a year to several thousand a year, to tens of thousands a year. He knew that was an industry worth billions of dollars, and they sold the organs harvested from Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs. He knew that they looked for people from all over the world to agree to organ transplants for a high price in China and that the victims died miserably, and some people’s organs were removed when they were not under anesthesia.

He knew that Falun Gong was a peaceful cultivation group, a group that follows peace and forbearance, and they speak the truth. They are a group of people who just want to live peaceful lives. He hopes that the Australian government will confront the CCP regarding this issue, and that the government will pass a law to prevent Australian people from getting involved in organ harvesting.