Canada: Falun Gong Practitioners Participate in St. Patrick's Day Parade in Edmonton (Photos)

(Clearewisdom.net) On March 14, Falun Gong practitioners participated in a St. Patrick's Day parade in Edmonton, Alberta.

St. Patrick's Day originated in Ireland in the late fifth century, a traditional holiday designated to honor missionary Saint Patrick. At 1 p.m., the parade started at 108^th Avenue, and the parade procession went past White Street and ended at 103^rd avenue. The parade lasted about 1 hour. More than 40 groups participated in the parade to the delight of local residents and tourists. Many residents came out long before the parade started and waited on both sides of the street.

Falun Gong procession	Press conference held in Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park

The Falun Gong practitioners' procession was especially eye-catching. It consisted of nearly 30 Chinese and Western practitioners from Edmonton and Calgary. Accompanied by the beautiful Dafa music, some practitioners in golden exercise suits walked holding banners while some others sat on a decorated float demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises. The spectators applauded the procession warmly, especially enjoying the elegant dancers that were part of the procession.

During the parade, many spectators gladly accepted our truth-clarifying pamphlets and expressed their appreciation. The practitioners' procession was put between groups led by Provincial Legislative Council members and Provincial congress representatives, leaving a deep impression on those groups.

After the parade, the practitioners held a press conference in Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park to inform people of Canadian citizen Professor Zhang Kunlun's request to Justice Minister Irwin Cotler to allow him to file a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and other perpetrators for torture. From 2000 to 2001 in China, professor Zhang was arrested and detained many times for practicing Falun Gong, and he was physically and mentally tortured.

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