Slovakia: Practitioners Commemorate the April 25 Appeal

(Minghui.org) Practitioners in Slovakia peacefully demonstrated in front of the Chinese Embassy in Bratislava on April 24, 2025, to commemorate the April 25 Appeal in Beijing 26 years ago.

They set up banners, demonstrated the Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) exercises, and told people about Falun Dafa and how the appeal was a historic event in Chinese history.

Falun Dafa practitioners in Slovakia commemorate the April 25 Appeal in front of the Chinese Embassy in Bratislava on April 24, 2025.

On the morning of April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners peacefully gathered in front of the National Appeal Office in Beijing, asking the authorities to release the practitioners who were arrested by Tianjin police.

The practitioners remained orderly and cleaned up before leaving, and even picked up cigarette butts discarded by police. This was the largest and most peaceful appeal since the Chinese Communist Party took power. However, because of Falun Dafa’s popularity, the CCP claimed the appeal was a “siege.” The state propaganda launched a smear campaign to deceive people in China and around the world.

Every year practitioners hold events to commemorate this appeal and its peaceful spirit.

Marek Tatarko, chairman of the Slovak Falun Gong Association, gives a speech.

Marek Tatarko, chairman of the Slovak Falun Gong Association, said during his speech, “Today we are here to commemorate this event for what it really was: a peaceful gathering in the face of a cruel totalitarian regime that could have been the catalyst for a turnaround in the attitude of the leadership of Communist China towards Falun Gong. However, the regime did not take this positive signal and three months later, launched a nationwide persecution of Falun Gong.”

Tatarko said that an increasing number of people were calling for an end to the persecution, and cited an example of last year when the European Parliament resolution passed on January 18, 2024, urging the PRC to immediately end the persecution of Falun Gong and calling for the release of all detained Falun Gong members. The EP also called on the EU and its Member States to publicly condemn the Chinese regime’s organ harvesting crimes.

He also stated: “Every year, an increasing number of people express their support for Falun Gong and its principles, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, because Falun Gong has the power of goodness, and because more and more people see the evil is powerless against those who believe in goodness; and that, in fact, the only way to conquer evil is to hold on to kindness and universal principles.”