(Minghui.org) The International Day of Peace is September 21. Falun Gong practitioners from more than ten European countries held a rally and march in Brussels on September 20 and 21, 2024. They called on European countries to take action to help stop the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 25-year persecution of Falun Gong. Annick Ponthier, Member of the Belgian Parliament (MP), walked in the march from beginning to end and gave a speech at the rally condemning the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.
Falun Gong practitioners’ march
Practitioners call on G7 countries to help stop the CCP’s forced organ harvesting.
The march began on Avenue Marnix, southeast of the Belgian Royal Palace, and passed through the streets where the European Parliament, embassies of various countries, and various international organizations are located, and arrived at Place Jean Rey between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Falun Gong practitioners, politicians from all walks of life, and representatives of human rights organizations held a rally. Five speakers condemned the CCP’s persecution and praised Falun Gong for following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and for improving people’s character and maintaining peace.
Belgian Federal Parliamentarian: I Stand on Your Side!
On September 20, Belgian Parliamentarian Annick Ponthier, who has spoken out for Falun Gong practitioners many times, walked in the march from beginning to end.
Annick Ponthier (middle), MP, walks in the march.
Annick Ponthier, MP, addresses the rally.
“We are not only here to express our support, but also to condemn,” said Annick Ponthier, MP. “The repression against Falun Gong has taken on forms that go beyond persecution. We could easily call it downright genocide. Even though Falun Gong is a religious group, not an ethnicity, the methods used by the Chinese government are completely genocide-like.”
She said that the CCP carries out mass arrests and locks practitioners in prisons and concentration camps, where they face brainwashing, physical and mental torture, forced organ harvesting, and even killing. All these means are to make these people give up their beliefs and their identities as Falun Gong practitioners.
She said, “As far as I’m concerned, it is about time the EU and its member states finally wake up and put their money where their mouth is. We owe it to the many minorities who only want to live a peaceful life, free of the systemic repression of the Chinese Communist Party.”
During an interview, she said, “Our responsibility is to inform everyone about the persecution. Human rights should be respected around the world so that more people will be aware of the existence of persecution. In fact, this is the message I want to convey most today, and this is one of the reasons why I marched with Falun Gong practitioners.
“I think the Falun Gong group is a particularly good reference. They show what it’s like for people to get along peacefully. On the contrary, they are suppressed. I can’t understand this contrast. What I saw today is the most peaceful march I have ever seen.”
Nurses Against Forced Organ Harvesting: Everyone’s Attention Is a Contribution
Geraldine Monti of Nurses Against Forced Organ Harvesting (NAFOH) speaks in the rally.
In her eight-page speech, Geraldine Monti, head of the European Association of NAFOH (Nurses Against Forced Organ Harvesting), expressed her gratitude to the Falun Dafa Association for inviting her to address the rally, and said, “This year’s theme of International Peace Day is ‘Promoting a Culture of Peace.’ The Chinese government should start by stopping forced organ harvesting in China. That is the first step to safeguard and protect human dignity and promote world peace.”
She also said, “It’s terrible that Falun Gong practitioners who want to live by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are killed for their beliefs!”
She encouraged people to pay attention. “We are all involved. Every day we can make our own small contribution to a better world; everyone’s attention is a contribution to the efforts to quell the darkness, war, violence, and torture.”
Vice President of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF): Falun Gong Should Be Spread All Over the World
Hans Noot, Vice President of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), spoke at the rally.
Hans Noot, Vice President of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), said at the rally, “I think it’s terrible for a government like the Chinese Communist Party to treat the people they are supposed to protect in this way.”
He said that persecuting Falun Gong, who are known for their honesty and tolerance, is incomprehensible and unacceptable. He said, “Falun Gong has a good value system, a healthy value system [Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance], which should be spread throughout the world. These values apply to all mankind.”
Director of the German International Human Rights Association: Moved by the Peace and Compassion of Falun Gong Practitioners
Man-Yan Ng, Director of the German Institute for Human Rights (GIHR), addressed the rally.
Man-Yan Ng, Director of the German Institute for Human Rights (GIHR), said, “Whenever I attend a Falun Gong gathering, my heart is moved by the peace and compassion of Falun Gong practitioners, and the energy of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance fills the entire environment. This time is no exception.”
In his speech he said that such peaceful and compassionate people have suffered 25 years of brutal persecution in China. They are sent to forced labor camps, tortured, killed, and have had their organs harvested while they are alive.
He reminded the leaders of European countries that the CCP, which relies on lies and deception as a means to persecute and control others, will not be an exception when dealing with European countries. Stopping the persecution of Falun Gong and other groups is not only in line with European values, but also beneficial to European national security.
ETAC Representative: The CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting Is a Crime Against Humanity
Elke Van den Brande, Representative of ETAC (The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China), addressed the rally.
Elke Van den Brande, representing ETAC Benelux addressed the rally and condemned the CCP’s forced organ harvesting.
She said that for at least two decades, the Chinese government has been accused of forcibly harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience and killing victims in the process. The CCP’s approach to Falun Gong is a policy of extermination.
She also pointed out that China’s organ transplant rate has risen rapidly since 2000. In 2020, the independent China Tribunal, chaired by human rights lawyer Sir Geoffrey Nice, concluded without a doubt that the CCP has been forcibly harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience on a large scale for many years and that the practice continues. The tribunal also found that Falun Gong practitioners are a source of organ supply, and may be the main source, and the organ harvesting has constituted a crime against humanity.
In her speech, she called on the G7 to recognize that China’s forced organ harvesting is a crime against humanity and a threat to global medical ethics. As global leaders, the G7 countries have a moral obligation to intervene and help end this atrocity.
She concluded by saying that public awareness is key and said, “So please tell your friends, tell your family, write to your MPs.”
Director of Belgian Falun Dafa Association Calls on Legislators to Take Action
Nico Bijnens, Director of the Belgian Falun Dafa Association, addressed the rally.
Nico Bijnens, Director of the Belgian Falun Dafa Association, said, “Today’s rally is right between the European Parliament and the European Council. The European Parliament passed a resolution earlier this year condemning the persecution of Falun Gong. Now it’s the turn of our legislators to take action and move forward. We must make it clear to politicians and human rights organizations that they must take action and must change the status quo.”
With the joint appeals and efforts of Falun Gong practitioners and politicians in the European Parliament, the European Parliament passed a resolution in 2013 condemning the CCP’s harvesting organs from living prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners, and passed a written statement on this issue again in 2015.
In January this year, the European Parliament once again passed a resolution to stop the persecution of Falun Gong, which mentioned the case of Ding Lebin, a Falun Gong practitioner living in Germany, whose parents in China were detained by the CCP for practicing Falun Gong.
Ding Lebin (left) addressed the rally. Annick Ponthier MP holds a poster to express her support.
Ding Lebin gave a speech titled “Help my father be released from illegal detention in China.” Mr. Ding’s parents, Mr. Ding Yuande and Ms. Ma Ruimei, were arbitrarily arrested and detained on May 12, 2023 in Rizhao, a port city in Shandong Province, China, for practicing Falun Gong. His mother was released and placed under residential surveillance. His father is still detained.
He said, “The CCP is afraid of sanctions from the international community. Your voice and posting the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong on social media will not only help release my parents but also help end the CCP’s brutal persecution of Falun Gong.”
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Category: Rallies & Protests
