(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners peacefully protested in front of the Chinese Consulate in Budapest on April 29, 2025, to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal. They called for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong).

Practitioners set up banners along the street and did the Falun Dafa exercises.

Practitioners in Hungary hold a peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Consulate in Budapest on April 29, 2025.

“On April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Chinese Falun Dafa practitioners traveled to Beijing to call for the release of fellow practitioners who had been arrested shortly before in Tianjin, just over 100 km from the capital,” said Dr. Eszter Fricsko, President of the Hungarian Falun Dafa Association, at the gathering.

During that peaceful appeal, practitioners stood quietly along the road, taking care not to block pedestrians or vehicles. “In the late afternoon, several practitioners were invited to talk to the then Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji. In the early evening, the detained practitioners were released. The Falun Gong practitioners all returned home peacefully,” continued Dr. Fricsko.

However, the CCP has denounced the April 25 appeal as a “declaration of war” against the Chinese government. She said that newspapers carried similar headlines: “Government quarter surrounded.” Falun Gong was proclaimed a “threatening danger” and was portrayed as a target to take action against. The CCP launched the persecution on July 20, 1999.”

“Falun Gong practitioners then, and now, peacefully and steadfastly stand by their fellow practitioners and their cultivation practice,” Dr. Fricsko said.