Belgian Practitioners Commemorate the April 25 Appeal in Front of the Chinese Embassy

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Belgium gathered in front of the Chinese embassy on April 22, 2026 to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the April 25 appeal.

About 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners gathered peacefully outside the National Appeals Office in Beijing on April 25, 1999. They didn’t shout any slogans, hold up banners, or block the traffic. They stood on the sidewalk quietly, waiting for government officials to meet with them. They cleared the sidewalk before they left. It was regarded as the largest-scale, most rational, and most peaceful appeal in Chinese history.

Though the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution in China is still happening, voices of condemnation against it have become stronger and stronger.

Practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium on April 22, 2026 to commemorate the April 25 appeal.

Director of the Belgium Falun Dafa Association: Commemorating the Appeal and Calling for Attention to the CCP’s Persecution

Nico Bijnens, director of the Belgium Falun Dafa Association, made a speech during the commemoration event. He said that the appeal in Beijing 27 years ago was to petition the government for a normal environment to practice Falun Dafa according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

He said that practitioners commemorate the April 25 appeal each year to show their determination in their belief in Falun Dafa and to safeguard basic human rights. They also wanted to remind the public that the CCP’s persecution was still ongoing.

Nico Bijnens, director of the Belgium Falun Dafa Association, speaks at the rally.

Bijnens said that practitioners continued to introduce Falun Dafa to the public and expose the CCP’s persecution in China in a peaceful way. He called for an end to the persecution.

He also pointed out how the CCP had attempted to interfere with Shen Yun performances in many countries recently. He pointed out that the CCP was afraid of Falun Dafa because Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance presented a sharp contrast with the CCP’s deceitful, evil, and violent nature.

He said that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, these universal values, have spread widely and have been acknowledged by people everywhere, and that the world needs these values.

Peacefulness and Rationality Is a Natural Manifestation of Cultivation in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Practitioner Matthias at the rally

Matthias said that the April 25 appeal held significant meaning for practitioners. Falun Dafa practitioners around the world have been clarifying the truth for the past 27 years.

They have not only expressed their demands to the CCP, but have also provided opportunities for people in Belgium and the international community to learn that the persecution is still happening in China.

He said that people have been impressed by the peaceful, rational, and orderly appeal, and peacefulness and rationality is a natural manifestation of cultivation in Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance.

Matthias said that practitioners stood in front of the Chinese embassy without shouting any slogans or making any noise. They demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises quietly, and it was an extension of the spirit of the April 25 appeal.

Matthias went to Beijing to show his support for Falun Dafa practitioners in February 2001. He said that though the persecution had spread across China at that time, he felt that he must go to Beijing in person to let the Chinese people and the government know that there were still Falun Dafa practitioners overseas who worried about the practitioners in China and hoped to end the persecution.

He and several other practitioners planned to appeal in Tiananmen Square, but they were arrested by policemen as soon as they arrived there.

Hoping the Persecution Will End Soon

Practitioner Wilfried Duchamps at the rally

Wilfried Duchamps has practiced Falun Dafa for more than 20 years. His wife and two children also practice Falun Dafa. He said that he had benefited a lot from Falun Dafa, and he had attended various activities to introduce Falun Dafa to people.

Wilfried said that he followed the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance in daily life, and his character has improved as a result. He said that he would continue to clarify the truth.

He said that the activities to commemorate the April 25 appeal enable more people to know about the process and the demeanor demonstrated by practitioners during the appeal 27 years ago, as a result of standing by the principles.

He said that the event helped people learn about the practice and let more Chinese people know how the international community views Falun Dafa.

The Practitioners' Peacefulness and Rationality Reflect Their Inner Strength

Falun Dafa practitioner Janniek de Klerk

Practitioner Janniek de Klerk is a high school mathematics teacher. She said that the peaceful fight for freedom of belief demonstrates the inner strength of Falun Dafa practitioners, who continuously comply with the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Janniek said that the peaceful, rational expression of their demands displayed the inner realm of practitioners. She said that commemorating the April 25 appeal was not only revisiting history, but also a reminder to society of the importance of freedom of belief.

As a teacher, she has paid much attention to this peaceful and rational demeanor, and said that it was of educational value to young people. She said that she hoped to let students know that standing by one’s principles doesn’t have to be aggressive or confrontational; they could be heard using a peaceful, restrained, and rational way. By doing so, students could display a mature social consciousness and could learn how to express their stances in society.