By practitioners from New York

(Clearwisdom.net) On July 3, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners participated in the grand Independence Day parade held in Manhattan's Chinatown by the local Chinese community. People from the Chinese community were pleased to enjoy the beautiful display. This was the first time that Falun Gong practitioners paraded with other Chinese organizations to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day. Prior to this year, the parade organizers had always evaded Falun Gong practitioners' formal application. Regarding this situation, practitioners from the Metropolitan New York area held a number of Fa-studies and experience sharing events. New York's government officials, media outlets, supervisory institutions and the public showed their enormous attention to this issue. Finally, on July 3, Falun Gong practitioners graciously participated in the parade and their performance was outstanding.

Falun Gong practitioners' procession

Waist drum troupe

Long Ribbon Dance

Lion Dance

Falun Gong practitioners' procession is warmly welcomed by spectators

Positive Feedback from Spectators

People in the community warmly welcomed Falun Gong practitioners' procession from the bottom of their hearts. Both sides of the street were crowded with spectators. People smiled and were pleased to watch Falun Gong practitioners in the procession.

The Falun Gong procession was composed of more than 250 people. The eye-catching U.S. National Flag and banners with the words, "Celebrate American Liberty & Freedom for All," "Falun Dafa is Great," and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" led the procession. Stunning gold and silver lions danced, sometimes striding bravely forward, sometimes nodding to the audience to express their best wishes. Heavenly beauties gracefully danced, spreading flowers to the spectators. The waist drum troupe looked valiant and heroic in their demeanor and their drum-beats shook the cosmos and shocked the evil. Nearly a hundred practitioners followed them, most of them wearing golden T-shirts imprinted with the words "Falun Dafa." They smiled and waved towards the spectators. The song, "Falun Dafa is Good," accompanied by the waist-drum beats echoed in the streets and avenues of Chinatown.

One could constantly hear from the spectators, "It's Falun Gong!" "Look! Falun Gong!" Perhaps people did not expect to see Falun Gong in the parade, but their smiles and attentive expression when watching the practitioners' procession showed their joyfulness and the welcome from their hearts. A young Chinese man held his child's hand to waive towards practitioners. An elderly Chinese lady continuously clapped her hands, saying, "So beautiful!" Many people took photos.

One of the parade organizers said, upon receiving a media interview, "Living in the U.S., we should follow the local customs here. We are very happy to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day. As an individual, I don't oppose any organization [who wishes] to participate in the celebration. Any organization should be able to participate in the celebration."

A senior police officer who assisted with the parade said, "I'm very happy that they [Falun Gong] participated in this parade. Their performance is remarkable. They are an excellent organization."

Attention from Government Officials

Congressman Edolphus Towns from the 10^th Congressional District of New York clearly expressed in his letter to parade organizers that he strongly supported Falun Dafa and their participation in the community parade held on July 3. He said that just as the U.S. celebrates its Independence Day, the values on which the American Nation is established are very important. He said that Falun Dafa stands up bravely for justice even in places where human rights are not respected. Their belief in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" should be the model for any moral system and their contribution to the Chinese culture should be congratulated. He said that he could not imagine a better way to celebrate the tenets of freedom than displaying this peaceful organization in the parade.

Media Coverage

Two local newspapers including The Villager, reported on the obstruction encountered by Falun Gong practitioners in their application to participate in this parade. On July 3, when the parade was held, several Chinese and English media outlets showed up in Chinatown. Falun Gong practitioners' sincerity and uplifting spirit, as well as their colorful performance reflecting the best of Chinese culture, attracted all the media outlets' attention.

Investigation by the New York State Human Rights Supervisory Institution

Falun Gong practitioners reported to the New York State Human Rights Supervisory Institution about the obstruction they encountered when applying to participate in the parade. The human rights organization paid great attention to this issue and immediately set up a file and informed the related party that they would run an investigation on this matter.

Good and Evil Can be Clearly Distinguished

Over the past five years, Jiang's group has employed brutal means to torture and persecute Falun Gong practitioners. It has been verified that 998 Falun Gong practitioners have died from the persecution. Under the five-year suppression, Falun Gong has gained more and more recognition from the international community, and people throughout the entire world have seen more and more clearly the nature of Jiang's group's cruel persecution of Falun Gong. The incident in South Africa, in which Zeng Qinghong hired thugs to shoot Falun Gong practitioners, allowed the international community to realize the terrorist nature of Jiang's group. Today, the fact that Falun Gong practitioners were well received in the Chinatown parade sent out a clear message: Kind people support and love Falun Gong. Perhaps under the high pressure of the persecution, people dare not speak up for the moment. However, as they constantly learn more about the truth of Falun Gong, and as more people deeply realize the nature of this persecution, people will express their true feelings. At that time, where will the chief perpetrator of this suppression be able to hide?

Posting date: 7/5/2004
Original article date: 7/5/2004
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/7/4/78671.html

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