Sydney, Australia: People Admire the Spirit and Courage of the April 25 Appeal

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held rallies on April 24 and April 25, 2025, at the Sydney Town Hall and the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, Australia, to commemorate the April 25 appeal in Beijing 26 years ago and call on all sectors of society to help stop the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution.

Falun Gong practitioners in front of the Sydney Town Hall on April 24, 2025, commemorate the 26th anniversary of the April 25 appeal.

Twenty-six years ago, approximately 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered at the State Appeals Office in Beijing on April 25 to ask the authorities to release 45 practitioners who had been illegally arrested in Tianjin a few days earlier. The authorities agreed to the practitioners’ requests and released the practitioners in Tianjin. This was the first peaceful and fruitful dialogue between civilians and the Chinese regime since the CCP seized power in 1949.

Falun Gong practitioners in front of the Chinese Consulate in Sydney on April 25, 2025, commemorate the 26th anniversary of the April 25 appeal.

Passersby expressed their respect and praised Falun Gong practitioners for their perseverance and compassion in peacefully clarifying the truth to the public. They told practitioners that they hoped they would persevere and help more people understand the truth and awaken their consciences. Some said that the peaceful appeal 26 years ago was very brave and admirable, while others expressed their support of Falun Gong practitioners’ right to practice their beliefs and said that people need to work together to spread the truth and strive for human rights and freedom of belief for future generations.

In front of the Sydney Town Hall on April 24, people signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution.

“I See Their Beauty and Power”

Peter Nokolov had his first encounter with Falun Gong when he walked by Sydney Town Hall and saw the many practitioners in the event. “I see their beauty and power. It is really beautiful and powerful. It is definitely a beautiful sight to behold,” he said.

Peter Nokolov: “Your peaceful appeal 26 years ago was courageous, touching, beautiful, and powerful!”

Peter commended the practitioners for their courage and compassion. “I want to say that you can see that many people stand up against [the persecution]. In Australia, we are lucky and it is safe here, but the CCP is very bad, especially its forced organ harvesting. That is terrible. We should stop a corrupt political party from persecuting innocent people,” he said.

“It Is Brave of People to Peacefully Petition for Their Freedom of Belief. They Are Great!”

Gonzalo Ajenjo from Spain had never heard of Falun Gong. He was impressed when he saw many people doing the Falun Gong exercises as he crossed the street. “I think it’s brave that people are peacefully petitioning for their freedom of belief. They are great,” he said.

Gonzalo Ajenjo: “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance hold a lot of value for mankind.”

When he heard that Falun Gong’s principles are Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, he said they were valuable traits worth living by. “We live in a connected world. People need to have this kind of compassion and appreciate the feelings of others,” he said.

Respecting the Spirit of the Peaceful Appeal

Teresa, her husband, and their two little daughters were waiting at the subway station. When the couple saw the event, they took a flier and asked for more information. They were deeply impressed when they learned about the peaceful appeal 26 years ago.

Teresa expressed her appreciation for Falun Gong practitioners’ persistence in clarifying the truth and exposing the evil of the CCP. She was also impressed by their presence at different tourist sites to let the world know how the CCP is infiltrating its ideology into foreign countries. “Thank you for all the activities you hold, because this is so that future generations will have human rights and freedom of belief,” she said.

“I Support your Activities 100 Percent! I Hope More People Will Know the Truth.”

Fyle Flynn: “Falun Gong is very peaceful”

Kyle Flynn walked by a long line of Falun Gong practitioners holding banners and display boards. He said, “They are very peaceful. But I knew nothing about the persecution (of Falun Gong) before.”

When he learned about the appeal and the subsequent persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, he said, “We should stop the persecution. It is extremely evil and totally wrong. It should be stopped.”

Kyle said that the activities practitioners were holding were very meaningful and should happen more often. “I support your activities 100 percent! I hope more people will know the truth,” he said.

A Classic Example of Upholding Human Rights

A young Chinese woman stopped at the Falun Gong event and asked what had happened on April 25. A practitioner told her the basic facts of the peaceful appeal in 1999 and about the persecution in general. The practitioner said that they were sharing the benefits they had gained from the practice with people passing by, hoping that more people would benefit. They also hoped to inform the world of the nature of the CCP, so that people would be alert.

The practitioner added that, if the CCP had not persecuted Falun Gong after the peaceful appeal, it would have set an example of great significance for the Chinese people, a rare and precious spirit in this era of not fearing power and of being peaceful and steadfast. The young woman agreed.

However, the CCP not only persecuted Falun Gong, but also began to suppress all Chinese people who want to appeal. The young woman said while pointing to the flier, “I will learn more about this.”