(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners in the San Francisco area held a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Consulate on April 20, 2024. They commemorated the 25th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal and mourned fellow practitioners who were persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on April 20, 2024.

New Immigrant: I Must Support You

Their activity received great support from the public, including recent immigrants from China. 

Mr. Zheng who came to the United States in July last year, came to support the event. He said, “Today is the 25th anniversary of Falun Gong practitioners’ peaceful petitioning. I must support you. We are all persecuted by the CCP, and we must eliminate the Communist Party.”

Mr. Zheng said that the CCP brainwashed people early on and slandered Falun Gong, “But I never believed the CCP’s lies because I have many family members in Hong Kong who can access true information. Our desire for freedom is strong.”

He said that when he was in China, he learned to break the CCP’s Internet firewall and was able to see websites out of China, “I knew about the atrocities of the CCP early on, and I knew about the CCP’s organ harvesting. All the CCP’s propaganda is false, and I don’t believe it. After I came to the United States, I always believed my Falun Gong friends. They are all peaceful and follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

Another recent Chinese immigrant, Mr. Li, was deeply moved when he saw the practitioners’ event in front of the consulate in San Francisco. He said, “What I saw in China is different from what I see here. In the United States, people have the freedom to practice Falun Gong. I oppose the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. I also want to get a copy of the main text of Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun. I want to practice it.”

He said the CCP’s slanderous propaganda prevented Falun Gong practitioners from practicing in China. There is freedom here.”

April 25, 1999 Participant Hopes People Understand the Truth

Chen Jiaqi also participated in the appeal on April 25, 1999. She said the day before April 25, she learned that Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin had been arrested, so she decided to go to the State Council’s petition office with her husband to explain the truth.

She said, “We were just asking for an environment where we can practice freely and for the release of the arrested practitioners in Tianjin.” 

Twenty-five years have passed, and Falun Gong practitioners in China still do not have a free environment to practice. Chen Jiaqi often goes out to clarify the truth, and tells people that Falun Gong is good and that the CCP’s persecution is wrong.

She said, “We just want to tell people what Falun Gong is, that people who practice it are good people who follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We also hope more people benefit from it. At the same time, we also tell people that the persecution of good people is wrong. Telling the truth is our responsibility, and we hope to let more people know the truth, especially Chinese people.”

Bay Area Residents: Persecution is Wrong

Marco, who works at the San Mateo County school in the Bay Area, said the persecution is wrong.

Marco, who works at the San Mateo County campus in the Bay Area, said he practices yoga and enjoys seeing practitioners meditate. “Meditation can help relieve stress and keep the mind clear. It is very important to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We need these principles. Persecution is wrong, people should have freedom of thought and belief.”

Hanter Jevae and his wife, Ciera Jevae, are both teachers and were deeply moved by the practitioners’ event. Hanter said, “The power of silence is strong. The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance can guide people on the right path.” This was the first time Hanter heard about the CCP’s live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. He said, “This is a tragedy. People should enjoy freedom, and I support their freedom of belief.”

His wife, Ciera, said, “The scene of their petition is very powerful, especially the compassion in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Our society today severely lacks this, and we greatly need this.”