(Minghui.org) Last week Falun Gong practitioners in nine countries in Europe commemorated the 18th anniversary of their peaceful resistance to the persecution by raising public awareness of this human rights crisis. This report covers the events in multiple cities in Switzerland, the U.K., Norway, Denmark, Russia, France, Austria, Romania, and Italy.
Bern, Switzerland
Swiss practitioners held activities in several places in the capital city of Bern on Thursday.
A peaceful demonstration and collecting signatures on Thunplatz (Thun Plaza)
Reading a letter in front of the Chinese embassy, urging Chinese government officials to stop following the persecution policy
Mr. Merogross, a reporter from the local TV station Tele Baern, reported on the event in front of the Chinese embassy.
Merogross had never heard about the persecution before. He praised practitioners for their efforts to inform the public. He told them that the news was scheduled to air that same night.
Demonstrating the exercises on Rosengarten, a famous tourist spot.
Demonstrating the exercises on Waisenhausplatz
Collecting signatures on Waisenhausplatz
Cambridge, U.K.
The European Tian Guo Marching Band and other practitioners held a rally and a march in Cambridge, U.K., on Saturday.
The march
The rally before the march
Several UK parliament members sent letters of support to the rally. Practitioners also gathered on Market Square to collect signatures on the petition condemning the persecution. The rally and the march lasted four hours.
Telling people about the persecution
Signing the petition to support Falun Gong
Oslo, Norway
Norwegian practitioners held a peaceful protest in front of the Chinese embassy, demonstrated the exercises in a local park, and collected signatures in front of the parliament building July 10 and 20.
The protest in front of the Chinese embassy
Demonstrating the exercises
Telling people about the persecution in front of the parliament building
Signing the petition to condemn the persecution
Copenhagen, Denmark
Danish practitioners held protests and collected signatures downtown and in front of the Chinese embassy on July 15 and 20. They also held a candlelight vigil in the city hall plaza on July 20.
Telling tourists in downtown Copenhagen about the persecution
Practitioner Wei Zaiqun told the tourists that two of her sisters are still imprisoned in China.
“They were sentenced to seven years in 2014. We don't know much about how they are doing in prison. We cannot speak freely when we visit them,” Ms. Wei said, adding, “Sharing the information with your friends helps us.”
The candlelight vigil on city hall plaza.
At the events on city hall plaza, many Chinese tourists accepted literature from practitioners, and some of them decided to take a stance against the persecution by declaring their withdrawal from Chinese Communist Party organizations.
Russia
Russian practitioners held events in at least three different cities last week.
Collecting signatures in Chelyabinsk
In Chelyabinsk, many government officials attending another event in the same location stopped at the Falun Gong activity to sign the petition that calls upon the United Nations to investigate the state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China.
The protest in front of the Chinese consulate in Irkutsk
The protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Moscow
The candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese embassy in Moscow
Paris, France
French practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese embassy on July 20.
The rally in front of the Chinese embassy in Paris.
Telling passersby about the persecution
Dr. Harold King from Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH) spoke at the rally. He said that not many people know about the state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China, so it is very important to share the information.
“It involves many people. Patients may travel to China for organ transplants without realizing they are getting involved in this crime,” he said.
Vienna, Austria
Practitioners held a rally and a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese embassy in Vienna. Spokeswoman for the Green Party Faika El-Nagashi spoke in support of practitioners' peaceful resistance.
The protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Vietnna
Spokeswoman for the Green Party Faika El-Nagashi
Bucharest, Romania
Romanian practitioners held banners in front of the Chinese embassy in Bucharest that read: “Stop the persecution” “Bring the perpetrators to justice,” and “Stop forced organ harvesting.”
The protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Bucharest
Rome, Italy
Practitioners in Rome, Italy, demonstrated the exercises and held a candlelight vigil in the Piazza Venezia. Many tourists watched, talked to practitioners, and took flyers. They wished the practitioners great success.
Piazza Venezia, Rome
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Category: July 20 Events
