(Clearwisdom.net) For the previous few days, a continuous stream of Falun Gong practitioners had been arriving in Paris from different places around the world to participate in the celebration events of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

According to a report on January 23 by Radio Free Asia, about five hundred Falun Gong practitioners from various countries in Europe participated in the parade through Paris to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, which attracted a lot of tourists and French citizens.

The article reported how the practitioners dressed in traditional Chinese costumes for the parade as they performed the fan dance, the drum dance, danced wearing dragon masks, and marched in the parade from Piazza di Repubblica to the Bastille. It was observed by the reporter that there were plenty of western Falun Gong practitioners who danced with the dragon masks and played the waist drums; the youngest among them was only twelve years old.

According to the news report, some spectators said that they supported Falun Gong's participation in the Spring Festival Parade. Some French motorists said that they saw Falun Gong on TV and agreed with their participation in the parade also.

In the report, it was also said that Falun Gong's parade during the spring festival parade also attracted a lot of French reporters, who covered the event in spite of the Chinese Embassy's pressure.

Falun Gong practitioners said that the number of people present at the parade was more than expected. Practitioners came from other European countries, including Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and England. There were also practitioners who came from as far away as Australia.

One gentleman, Mr. Li from Beijing, said that it was good to see the Falun Gong parade during the Chinese New Year.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200401/17423.html

Posting date: 1/30/2004
Original article date: 1/29/2004
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/1/24/65717.html

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