April 13, 2002
(Clearwisdom.net) On April 12, 2002, Hong Kong Dafa practitioners held a 6-hour sit-in and candlelight vigil to commemorate those practitioners who were tortured to death, especially those Changchun practitioners who died after Jiang's latest round of escalating persecution. They also called on kind-hearted people in Hong Kong and around the world to pay attention to the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners in China and stop the Jiang regime's atrocities.
The activity started at 3:00 p.m. and over one hundred practitioners sat in an orderly fashion. A white board was set up in front, and it showed the names of 396 practitioners who were tortured to death. Some practitioners held banners behind it, which read, "Falun Dafa is good" and "Completely deny the evil's murder and slander, all people holding justice step forward to stop the persecution of Falun Gong." Between sending forth righteous thoughts and practicing the exercises, a practitioner read an open petition statement, updated information on the persecution in Changchun and some recent death cases due to the persecution. Some practitioners distributed flyers to passersby and clarified the truth to them.
The candlelight vigil started at 7:00 p.m. with all practitioners sending forth righteous thoughts. A candle was lit before each practitioner. In the meeting, all the names of the nearly 400 practitioners tortured to death were read. The whole activity ended at 9:00 p.m. During the last two times of sending forth righteous thoughts, loud noises came from other activities in the garden. However, the practitioners were not affected, and it became quiet after they sent forth righteous thoughts. The practitioners realized that we should not be moved when facing interference.
From the afternoon to the evening, many people passed through Chater Garden, and many of them stopped to look at the poster boards. Some said in shock after seeing them, "How come so many died!" Before the end of the activity, an American tourist said, "I am a Christian, but like many other American people, I support the rights of Falun Gong practitioners for their beliefs and practice."
Category: April 25 Events
