Global SOS Walk: Report of the Amsterdam to Brussels Stage
by European practitioners
23rd October 2001
This section of the global SOS walk to rescue the persecuted Falun Gong
practitioners in China was arranged to take place between the 8th and
17th of October. In total there were four walkers, two of whom, Deng
Qing (The Netherlands) and Brian Trought (Ireland) walked the complete journey.
Two others, Wang XiangHe (The Netherlands) and David Ahern (Ireland) walked from
Amsterdam to Rotterdam and from Rotterdam to Brussels respectively.
The activities began in Amsterdam, Holland on 8th October, which
gave us an immediate chance to clarify the truth to people, including many
Chinese. Also, we let people know about the walk, and they offered support.
These activities were recorded by a photographer/reporter. She took many
pictures, and practitioners let her know the truth of the persecution in detail.
That afternoon, six practitioners began the walk. A phone call was received
from another photographer. He asked whether it was possible to walk with us and
take pictures. He accompanied us for over 3 hours taking dozens of photographs.
Again, practitioners clarified the truth to him in detail. An Irish practitioner
also had an interview over the phone at the same time as we walked.
We received many acknowledgements from passers by. The banner that we were
holding read:
"STOP KILLING innocent Falun Gong practitioners in China"
It seemed many passers-by acknowledged us because they saw the words
"STOP KILLING".
On the 2nd day, we reached Utrecht in Holland. On our way to the
mayor's office, we met a photographer. He also took pictures of us, and we let
him know about the persecution and gave him some materials. We arrived at the
mayor's office just in time to meet with his secretary. We presented our letter,
some information and also the books, Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun
for the mayor. She expressed her support.
Later that night, we made 2 posters which told the purpose of our walk, one
in English and one in Dutch. We later made another in French.
Because of this, our purpose was clearer to passing cars, people etc. We made
the best use of these as we could turn them so that nearly every passerby saw
them. This led to two interviews with newspaper reporters on the third day, and
many more people expressing their support. We were also interviewed by a
reporter who works for an internet paper.
On one occasion, a man on a bicycle took one of our flyers. Later while we
were sitting down to rest, the man came back with some food and drink. We told
him about the persecution, and he expressed his support.
During this time many leaflets were handed out. Also, people were touched by
the spirit and determination of the walkers. Towards the end of the first week,
we attended group activities in Rotterdam [Holland]. We participated in the
group exercise practice and also held an interview with a reporter. Three
practitioners talked to him in detail. We told him about Falun Dafa, the
persecution and about the strength practitioners have by living according to
Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
After the group practice, we began to walk at night, starting from The Hague
[Holland]. However, after more than 6 hours, we had moved 9km outside of The
Hague. We had walked in a circle for over 4 hours! As we were approaching a
nearby train station, we met 3 college students. They ran up to us, asking what
we were doing. We told them what Falun Gong is, and let them know about the
persecution. One of them said, "I respect you very much..." several
times. The reason why we had lost our way was apparent.
The following day, we met several teenagers. Again we clarified the truth of
Falun Gong and the persecution in China. They expressed sympathy and support,
and gladly signed our letters calling for the release of Zhao Ming, the Trinity
College student illegally held and tortured in China. We also approached a radio
station in Rotterdam, who promised to report our walk on the news the following
day.
During our trip from Breda in Holland to Antwerp in Belgium, we met another
journalist who also recorded our journey. We also had several chances to tell
the police of our walk. We used every situation to tell people what we were
doing. Once we walked on the highway, because we thought this way was the
shortest way. After a short time, a police car stopped beside us. The policemen
told us, according to the rule, walking on the highway should incur a fine.
However, as the reason for our walk was good, they decided not to fine us. It
was their "donation" to Falun Gong. One of the practitioners
immediately realized that "there is no shortcut in cultivation way".
In Antwerp, we again met with media, and with an assistant to the mayor.
While we were walking through the city center, a lot of people looked at us with
interest. It seemed that they were waiting for us. Flyers were handed out
quickly.
Because the pace we walked at was particularly slow, we were behind schedule
for most of the walk. However, this gave us a chance to hand out more flyers,
and also talk to more people.
In Brussels, we met practitioners from the United States who were doing the
global SOS walk. After hearing some of their plans, we realized how much extra
planning we needed to have done. From exchanging experiences amongst the walkers
and practitioners in different countries, we were greatly aware of areas in
which we needed to improve and we also felt that we could make greater effort.
Finally, the day we arrived in Brussels, Belgium the beautiful Falun Gong
music of "Pudu and Jishi" could be heard.
Source: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/1480.html
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