Montreal: The Canadian People Celebrate May 13 Together (Photos)

By Xiao Yan, Correspondent from Minghui.org

(Clearwisdom.net) The weather was pleasant on May 7, 2005 in Montreal after a cold winter and rainy spring. A constant stream of people came and went in Chinatown. Here, with police officers clearing the way, a procession accompanied by the sound of waist drums and music could be seen on the streets of Chinatown. Shoppers, store owners and passersby automatically stood on the two sides of the street and watched the parade. Later, they followed the procession to Zhongshan Park in Chinatown. Suddenly, the park was swarming with people and it was quite bustling and joyful. Falun Gong practitioners from Montreal and Ottawa were celebrating World Falun Dafa Day together.

May 2005 is a splendid and sacred month, which marks the 13^th anniversary of the spreading of Falun Dafa worldwide. May 13 is a day that Falun Dafa disciples, who have been through various hardships but still carry a compassionate heart of saving sentient beings, celebrate. This is a day in which all sentient beings are blessed by Dafa.

Falun Gong practitioners' procession

The procession set off from downtown Montreal and passed through major streets before ending in Chinatown. Local Falun Gong practitioners conduct parades several times each year, but this was their first time to enter into Chinatown. Lots of Chinese people took the initiative to take truth-clarifying materials, take pictures and applaud the practitioners. This activity received great support and assistance from local police officers, who provided practitioners with special permission to allow the parade to end in Chinatown. In addition, the police van drove back and forth to clear the way for the parade.

A Falun Gong practitioner who just came from Mainland China said, "They are also police officers, but they treat Falun Gong differently from the police in China."

At the parade's starting point, something funny yet sad took place: A Falun Gong practitioner who had just immigrated to Canada from Singapore brought her nearly-one-year-old daughter to join the parade. This was her first time participating in an activity to promote Falun Dafa. When she saw the police coming, she was very nervous and said to fellow practitioners around her, "The police are coming!" At first, others did not understand why she was so nervous. When they learned that she came from Singapore, practitioners became silent.

The lady later told this reporter: that two years ago, she studied at the National University of Singapore (NUS) for her Master's degree. When she graduated, she also applied for permanent resident status in Singapore as other graduates. Usually, all graduates from NUS could be granted permanent residency without further interviews. However, she and several other schoolmates who are Falun Gong practitioners had to be interviewed by immigration officials. The question that they had to answer was whether they still practice Falun Gong. In the end, their applications were all turned down because none of them wanted to give up their practice of Falun Gong. Her other schoolmates had to return China. Because she also applied for Canadian permanent resident status and eventually got her immigration visa from Canada, she came to Canada. People really feel sad over the Singapore government's discrimination against Falun Gong under the Chinese communist regime's pressure.

Spectators

Falun Gong exercise demonstration

Clarifying the truth

A huge corona around the sun

During the march, many citizens carefully viewed the posters which depicted the persecution and torture suffered by practitioners in China after they enjoyed the performances of the waist drum and dance troupes. The posters called for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong and the rescue of Falun Gong practitioners' orphans. More and more people accepted and read the truth-clarifying flyers. At this moment, a practitioner saw a huge Falun emblem around the sun. Many people saw the scene as well, which remained for quite a while.

Along the route, we met four Chinese people who came here from the Mainland on business. They did not express any hostility to the Falun Gong practitioners at all. In fact, their attitude was quite friendly. Three of them kept taking pictures with great interest. They said that people like them who often visited other countries all understood what Falun Gong is all about.

A western gentleman voluntarily joined the march and helped to unfurl a Falun Dafa banner until the march concluded.

Kind-hearted people will all feel and experience the beauty brought by Falun Dafa. Some people put their palms together to Heshi to practitioners' procession from time to time to show their respect.

Celebrations will continue on May 13, the World Falun Dafa Day in Ottawa.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/5/9/101470.html

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version