Practitioners Olivier Hayoun, Helene Petit and the President of the Falun Dafa Association of France, were greeted by the City Councillor of their district, Mr. Patrick Bloche, at the townhall of Paris. Interesting enough, this deputy is a representative at the National Congress for the 11th and 12th districts where both Helene and Olivier live. Both Helene and Olivier, together with more than 30 Western practitioners, went to Tiananmen last November 20th, to peacefully appeal against the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
During the meeting, the practitioners sincerely thanked the deputy for his support. Patrick Bloche had intervened in favour of Falun Gong in the form of a written request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/10/5/14396.html) and he had quickly responded when it came to free the two practitioners detained in Beijing on November 20th. The deputy invited the practitioners to tell him what had happened to them that day at the hands of the police during their peaceful appeal. He listened with much interest and expressed his indignation at the way Chinese police had treated the Western practitioners but also at the tortures used against practitioners in China in general.
Olivier said that he felt that the Chinese people oppose the persecution against Falun Gong. The deputy had Olivier repeat it a second time, and rejoiced over this response from the Chinese people.
The Deputy wholeheartedly congratulated the practitioners for this action that he praised as "remarkably peaceful" and "very courageous". He also strongly condemned the Chinese regime's inhuman persecution against Falun Gong. He expressed his determination in continuing to support Falun Gong practitioners and offered his unconditional help with concrete actions in the near future.
When the French practitioners introduced to the deputy that the teachings of Falun Gong were based on the universal principles of Truth, Compassion and Tolerance, the deputy was deeply moved. At one point during the meeting, he pointed at the word "Tolerance" written on the banner in the picture taken at Tiananmen Square and commented it is very important. He thanked the practitioners for their great tolerance and he was very patient during the meeting. When the time came for the practitioners to leave, he graciously accepted to have a picture taken with them and, as it was already very late in the evening and that many people were still waiting to meet with him, as a conclusion he said: "I hope that I am very patient and available for all the citizens of my district, that I treat them with Compassion and that Truth guides my path in life."
