(Minghui.org) No matter how windy or snowy it gets, practitioners continue holding activities near Helsinki's bustling Kamppi Shopping Center to introduce people to Falun Dafa, tourists and locals alike. They also tell them how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes and harvests organs from Dafa practitioners in China.

Every Saturday afternoon in November 2022, Finnish practitioners hold awareness-raising activities at the popular shopping center. Some people heard about Falun Dafa for the first time. Others said they heard about it before. Many signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution. 

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises during an event in Helsinki

People sign the petition calling for an end to the persecution. 

Practitioners displayed information about Falun Dafa and the persecution in a dark blue tent. A visitor stood in front of a tent and read the information. He told a practitioner he had already signed the petition. He said while pointing to the information about organ harvesting atrocities, “I searched for this information on the Internet, and it is all true.”

Petra from the Czech Republic had never heard of Falun Dafa before. When she learned about the persecution, she said, “It’s really scary. People are persecuted because they want to do something positive. I can’t understand why this is happening.” 

Petra’s friend Susana nodded and said, “I feel the same way. We have no idea what is happening in China. These people are crazy.”

Susana (left) and Petra (right)

Petra explained that because they are Czechs, they have a certain understanding of the nature of communism, so they wanted to sign to boycott communism. She also wanted to tell Chinese people who did not yet know the truth: “Look more, listen more, and learn more information. Change often begins with the people at the bottom, from the people. Just like my country, when people realize that enough is enough, they took to the streets.” Finally, the two of them laughed and encouraged in unison, “Never give up! Be strong and fight!”

On Saturday, Armando, a member of the Finnish Green Party, happened to be passing by and saw the event. He said, “I fully support human rights around the world. If you don’t fight for peace for yourself, you can’t bring peace to the world.”

Armando, a member of the Finnish Green Party

A girl asked for more information when she saw practitioners demonstrating the exercises and distributing leaflets. After learning about the brutal persecution in China, she immediately signed the petition. She turned around and relayed the information to her friend. Her friend picked up a pen on the table and wanted to sign the petition. But due to the cold weather, the pen was frozen. The girl rubbed the tip of the pen with her thumb until it was ready to write, then handed it to her friend to sign.

A 96-year-old woman chatted with a practitioner while leaning on a cane. She said, “I can fully understand that this is the CCP, this is communism. The world today is much changed and chaotic. Compared with the previous era, people have become crazy. People used to be honest and moral. Although a lot of things happened, we still have to stay positive.” She was interested in learning the exercises. She agreed with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She happily accepted a paper-folded lotus flower presented by a practitioner, and immediately tied it on her bag belt. 

“This persecution must be stopped. There are too many unrighteous things in the current world. But I believe that there is still love in the world, and I hope I can be a better person,” said Annikka, a local resident. While chatting with her, a practitioner handed her a lotus flower, “There is a saying in traditional Chinese culture that good will be rewarded with good.” She said happily, “It seems that I have done the right thing, and this lotus is my birthday present.”

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.