(Minghui.org) May 13 th is World Falun Dafa Day. On May 11, 2013, nearly one hundred Falun Dafa practitioners gathered in Melbourne's central business district to celebrate the 21 th anniversary of the public introduction of Falun Dafa and the 62 nd birthday of Master Li Hongzhi.
Falun Gong exercise demonstration
Falun Gong practitioners doing exercises in Fitzroy Gardens
Signing a petition to help end the persecution of Falun Gong
Mr. Gerard Flood from the Australian Democratic Labor Party speaking at the rally
It was a lovely, sunny day. At around 9:00 a.m., Falun Gong practitioners started the celebrations with group exercises in Fitzroy Gardens.
The celebration at City Square in Melbourne picked up momentum by mid-day, with colorful balloons and beautiful lotus flowers decorating the banners. On that day, City Square was filled with a festive and peaceful atmosphere, with people from various sectors enjoying the lively activities.
The celebration went on for over four hours. The Divine Land Marching Band also played some magnificent compositions, such as “Falun Dafa is Good”, “Fa Drums and Fa Trumpets Shake the World of Ten Directions", “The Fa Rectifies the Universe”, “Delivering a Treasure” and “Buddha Grace and Holy Music”. Practitioners also performed an elegant Fan Dance, ribbon Dance and a lively Waist Drum Dance, which received rounds of applause and cheers from the spectators.
Mr. Gerard Flood from the Australian Democratic Labor Party made a supportive speech at the rally. He congratulated the celebration of World Falun Dafa Day and expressed his best wishes for Master Li Hongzhi's birthday. He said: “You show the world the strength of mankind’s true nature. Gentleness and compassion are stronger than brutal oppression.; the wisdom of truth has enabled people around the world to see through the lies; you have opened up a path that has never been traveled by others before, on which you resisted and exposed the evil and told people the truth.”
Mr. Flood also said: “You show that human reason alone is not enough to protect the world from evil. The dominance of the age of reason gave us the horrors of two world wars, plus the evils of national socialism and international communism. You show us that reason must be supported by the great religious traditions of humanity. More than this, you show the good and proper use of human virtue. Thank you Falun Dafa for putting man’s virtues in the proper order.”
At the rally, Falun Gong practitioners also demonstrated the five sets of exercises to the public. Quite a number of passersby were attracted by the peaceful and graceful exercises and the beautiful music. Some people expressed interest in learning the exercises.
Falun Gong practitioners, Ms. Ti Na and Mr. Liu Jun also told the audience at the rally about the brutal persecution they had suffered in China and exposed the lies told by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and how the CCP tramples upon the law.
Falun Gong practitioners also performed a musical to depict how Falun Dafa was widely popular for its miraculous health and moral benefits, how it was brutally persecuted by the CCP and how Dafa practitioners courageously resist the persecution with compassion and rationality.
Many people were moved to tears by the performance. The musical attracted a large number of passers-by, who eagerly sought truth-clarifying materials and signed the petition to support Falun Gong and end the persecution.
