(Minghui.org) As part of their activities to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction to the public, practitioners from Toronto held a rally and did the exercises in front of the Provincial Parliament Building of Ontario on June 5, 2019.
They told people about the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa throughout the past 20 years. Members of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Mike Schreiner, Logan Kanapathi, and Roman Baber spoke at the rally. They expressed their support and condemned the CCP's persecution.
Practitioners from Toronto held a rally and did the exercises in front of the Provincial Parliament Building of Ontario.
Mr. Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario and Member of the Provincial Parliament for Guelph, speaks at the rally.
MPP Schreiner expressed his admiration for Falun Gong practitioners for creating a better world through self-improvement, meditation, and uniting mind, body, and spirit. He thanked practitioners for coming to the Provincial Parliament and said that he looked forward to working with them. He said he would stand with Falun Gong practitioners to end the persecution.
MPP Logan Kanapathi speaking at the rally
MPP Logan Kanapathi mentioned during his speech that he came to Canada in 1983 to avoid persecution. He praised practitioners for putting their constitutional rights into practice by making their voices heard in front of Parliament. He said that no matter where you came from, which language you speak, or which religion you believe, we are all part of humanity. He stressed that we were all born with human rights, which no one should take away.
MPP Roman Baber speaks at the rally.
MPP Roman Baber said he was proud to participate and show his support for Falun Gong. He said freedom of belief was a freedom given by God, not by any government, and that every human being should have that freedom. He said that it was unacceptable for any autocracy to suppress freedom of religion. As an immigrant from Russia, he recounted how his family had been subjected to suppression by the communist government when he was young. He said he would stand next to Falun Gong practitioners and support them until they enjoyed freedom and safety in China.
Despite the drizzle, Falun Gong practitioners sat quietly in front of Parliament. Several Members of the Provincial Parliament who happened to pass by expressed their support and their appreciation for practitioners' efforts.
People Express Their Support
Many tourists from China noticed the activities and expressed their support. A man from Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, said, “I know Falun Gong. They are nice people—completely different from what the CCP claims. The CCP has smeared Falun Gong badly. One time, there was an arsonist in my village. The authorities claimed it was Falun Gong practitioners, but I knew it wasn't. I am well aware of just how evil the Communist Party is. My wife and I suffered as a result of the One Child Policy when we had our second child.”
Mrs. Su is from Guangdong Province. She and her family stopped to watch the beginning of the rally. When she learned how millions of Chinese are quitting the CCP organizations Ms. Su quit the Young Pioneers with her real name. She thanked practitioners for helping her.
Mariana and her husband from Mexico said they wished to learn more about Falun Gong and they hoped the persecution would end soon.
James, a student from Toronto, said that he was happy Falun Gong practitioners could enjoy freedom of belief in Canada and wished them good luck.
Gose from South America thanked the practitioners for informing people about the ongoing persecution in China.
Fred from Toronto, watched the practitioners meditate. He was surprised to learn that Falun Gong practitioners are persecuted in China. He said, “I know some things that the Chinese government has done. People there don't have freedom of belief.” Fred said he supports Falun Gong practitioners' resistance to the persecution and wished them good luck.
Mr. Zhang, an organizer of the event, said, “It's the 27th anniversary of Falun Dafa's public introduction. Celebrations are held all over the world. We have chosen this special place in Toronto to hold our activities. It's the last week before Members of the Parliament start their summer recess. MPPs can see our activities from their offices. It's a great opportunity to show the people of the world that Falun Dafa is great. One government official told us that we should hold these activities here every year. He said he felt our peaceful energy.”
