Ontario, Canada: Special Report on the Hamilton Carnival Parade (Photos)

By Ye Linghui, Minghui/Clearwisdom correspondent

(Clearwisdom.net) On August 6, 2005, the three-day Hamilton Carnival entered the second day. Falun Gong practitioners were invited to attend the parade. After the parade, practitioners held an exercise demonstration and other celebration activities in Lakeshore Park. The parade started off from City Hall at 11 a.m. and ended at Lakeshore Park. The route was about 2 miles long.

Falun Gong practitioners were dressed in golden exercise suits. Coordinator Ms. Wang said that they took part in the stage performance in last year's carnival and their performance received great reviews from the audience and event organizers. "This year, the organizers invited us to give a traditional Chinese art performance just like last year, and in addition, they also invited us to join the parade."

Falun Dafa procession passing through James Street

Spectators clapping for the Tang Drum troupe

Falun Gong exercise demonstration

The Falun Gong procession was arranged second in the lineup, right behind the police officers' procession.

A Hamilton resident, accompanied by her friend from British Columbia, watched the Falun Gong practitioners practicing the Tang Drum routine at the parade's starting point. She told this reporter, "The newspaper said that 150,000 people would come to attend this carnival. Falun Gong's drum performance really brought something new and fresh to the event."

Hamilton is 60 kilometers from Toronto and is well known for its iron and steel manufacturing. It has a population of 500,000, with very few Chinese people. Mr. Zhang, a Falun Gong practitioner, distributed truth-clarification materials along the parade route while pushing a stroller with his child. He told this reporter that he was distributing materials detailing the campaign of rescuing children orphaned in the persecution of Falun Gong. "These spectators are very nice. Most of them took the materials." Mr. Zhang said, "Some people asked what Falun Gong is, so I stopped and explained to them the facts about Falun Gong. They all seemed to understand and expressed their support."

In the afternoon, the celebration activities held in the park attracted even more visitors. The large parking lot was full, and two nearby fields were used for additional parking.

The Falun Gong practitioners' stage performance started around 3 p.m. The traditional Chinese culture presented by the practitioners attracted many visitors. Despite the hot sun beating down, spectators quietly watched and enjoyed the performances.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/8/8/107982.html

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