Falun Dafa Practitioners from Latvia Hold Candlelight Vigil to Commemorate Chinese Practitioners Killed During the Persecution (Photos)

By a practitioner from Riga, Latvia

(Clearwisdom.net) On May 10, 2002, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Latvian practitioners held a candlelight vigil to commemorate the Falun Dafa practitioners who were persecuted to death by the Jiang regime for practicing "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."

The vigil was approved by the Duma (Parliament) of Riga, the capital of Latvia, and many media outlets reported the event, including the Latvian national television station.

At first, many policemen were assigned to keep order. The practitioners clarified the truth to the policemen and showed their peaceful nature during the event. The authorities then decided to leave only two policemen from the local police station to provide security.

One policeman in particular was very interested in Falun Gong. He recorded the practitioners' activities with his own video camera. I talked to him for a while and told him about how Falun Gong has transcended the boundaries of race and nationality, and how Falun Gong is recognized all over the world. I also told him about the ongoing persecution in China, and how previous to 1999, the Chinese government endorsed Falun Gong.

After sunset, quite a few people came to the site of the candlelight vigil and asked questions. We introduced Falun Dafa to them by talking to them and showing them the pictures on the display boards. A practitioner taught the children the Falun Gong exercises. A policeman saw it and said, "Usually there aren't many children here. Today is special. It is good to teach them Falun Gong. If they practice Falun Gong, they will not use drugs or violate the law. And I know they will not only obtain good health, but also become good people. It would be really good if Latvia had a school to teach our children about Falun Gong."

With the successful conclusion of the event, we expressed our appreciation to the policemen for their hard work. One of them could read English, so we gave him some "Witness to History" booklets in English. They wished us success.
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2002/5/18/30448.html

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version