(Minghui.org) A traditional folk festival was held in Hanau, a city in central Germany, from September 2 to 4. Falun Gong practitioners had a booth at the festival where they introduced the spiritual practice to the public by demonstrating the exercises, making small paper lotus flowers, and talking about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong. When people learned about the cruelty of the persecution, they signed a petition calling for an end to the atrocities.

Hanau is an important satellite city of Frankfurt, Germany’s financial center. This year marks the 60^th year of the folk festival, held on the banks of the River Main beside Philippsruhe Palace. According to local media, the three-day festival drew more than 60,000 visitors. 

Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises

Wishing to Learn Falun Gong

Julia, an office worker, and her companions watched the practitioners doing the exercises with interest. They received a lot of information and the latest Minghui magazine from a practitioner. Julia told the practitioner that she wanted to join the practice to gain the peace of mind she sensed from the practitioners. 

She said, “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is really good. The world needs more of this. We’re going to visit the group practice site on Sunday.”

Learning to make folded paper lotus flowers while listening to a practitioner talking about the CCP’s persecution

Tanja made a lotus flower with her daughter. She said, “I learned a lot today. I’m happy to get two [Minghui] magazines, and I downloaded the audio files from the Internet. Will you have group practice on Sunday? I’m very interested. Everyone is under so much pressure now. There are negative things everywhere, and everyone has to change. I think [Falun Gong] can help me, and I am very grateful for your efforts.”

Mario and Georgi read a Falun Gong flyer. 

Mario and Georgi from Bulgaria carefully read the information about Falun Gong and said that they would browse the Internet to read more in their native language.

Condemning the Persecution

People stop to learn about Falun Gong and the persecution in China.

Alexander accepted a flyer and signed the petition. He said, “These principles [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance] are important. Most people in this society should reflect on these values. We should ask where we come from and what should be the fundamental goal. 

“I firmly believe that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance can make society develop in a positive way. I think Western countries need your exercises very much, which can give people a clear mind and wisdom.” 

Beaten learned about Falun Gong and the CCP’s persecution as her child was making a paper lotus flower. She signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution. Beaten said, “People gradually learn about this information [the CCP’s persecution of various groups] from the media, which is completely contrary to freedom and justice. Of course it is bad. If everyone can act according to this [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance], the world would be better.” 

Klaus signed the petition and then talked with a practitioner for more than half an hour. He said, “I think this value [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance] is elegant. I wish our society could have more of these values.” Regarding the persecution, he said, “I am unable to understand why these principles are persecuted.”

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, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, 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.