Canada: Falun Gong Practitioners Commemorate the April 25 Appeal in Montreal (Photos)

By Xiao Yan, Minghui/Clearwisdom reporter in Montreal

(Clearwisdom.net) On the evening of April 25, 2007, Falun Gong practitioners went to Zhongshan Park in Montreal's Chinatown to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the "April 25" Appeal.

Falun Gong practitioners commemorate the "April 25" Appeal in Montreal's Chinatown

The practitioners held banners stating, "Peaceful Anti-Persecution Movement and Observation of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance Establish Monument of Morality," and "Falun Dafa Is Good." They held a picture display exposing the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). About ten Falun Gong practitioners gave speeches to tell of their personal experiences and to express their wish for more people to learn the true story of Falun Gong and choose a bright future for themselves.

Ms. Yao Lian, who came to Canada not long ago, told her personal experience of the April 25 Appeal. She said, "I went very early that day. More and more people joined us. We stood quietly and waited to be let in [to the State Council Appeals Office]. We took it upon ourselves to maintain order and left a path so that traffic wouldn't be blocked. Policemen were very relaxed and just stood around. We heard that the problem had been resolved close to evening. The Falun Gong practitioners who had been arrested in Tianjin had been released, so we left quietly.

"I was very saddened that the CCP launched a nationwide oppression and cruel persecution three months later. Countless Falun Gong practitioners have been seized and imprisoned. According the reports from the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, 3024 Falun Gong practitioners have died from the persecution. My husband, Falun Gong practitioner Ma Jian was taken away from his office in February and sent to forced labor camp for two and a half years. I call upon everyone to learn the truth of Falun Gong and help stop the persecution."

Qiao Qi, a college student originally from Beijing, told the reporter, "My mom called me the day before April 25, and told me that forty-five Falun Gong practitioners had been arrested in Tianjin. No solution could be reached in Tianjin, therefore we felt we had to appeal in Beijing the next day. I decided to go with mom. There was such a big group of people at Fuyou Street [where the Appeals Office is located] that I couldn't find my mom. Like others, I stood there quietly for a whole day. I was shocked to hear the TV news that said Falun Gong had laid siege to the Zhongnanhai [Government] Compound. In my mind, 'laying siege' would mean shouting and challenging the authorities to fight. It was completely different from what the news media said we did. Even more shocking, the CCP launched the persecution of Falun Gong three months later."

Qiao Qi said, "I am here today to tell what I have witnessed. Passersby, please stop to listen. Don't believe in the CCP's lies. Please listen to the true story. It will be the beginning of your bright future."

Mr. Su Junzuo, who used to be a software engineer in Beijing, said he heard about Falun Gong from the April 25 Appeal and started cultivation practice afterwards.

He said, "I learned from TV that more than ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners gathered around Zhongnanhai on April 25. They left in the evening. I was shocked there was a group of people who weren't intimidated by the CCP and stood peacefully in Beijing. There has been violent resistance to governments in history. But such a peaceful and quiet resistance to persecution was unseen before. I started learning more about Falun Gong and became a Falun Gong practitioner myself."

The host of the rally, Zhu Xueye said, "The eight years of anti-persecution activities is not only for Falun Gong practitioners themselves, but also for more people. Those practitioners at the April 25 Appeal faced an upcoming persecution with a fearless and compassionate spirit. They held thousands and thousands of people who long for Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance in their hearts. They held in their hearts not only their own families, but also those whom they would never meet, those who would have a chance to cultivate themselves in Falun Dafa around the world. They even held in their hearts those who might persecute and murder them and those who would be deceived and utilized by the CCP.

"In the past eight years, more and more people have learned about the persecution, the CCP's evil nature and the beauty of Falun Dafa. More and more have joined in the cultivation practice of Falun Dafa. Many people are still deceived by the CCP and unwilling to learn the true story of Falun Gong. We would like to say that we will continue to observe Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance and bring the benefits of Falun Dafa to the people. We hope our fellow Chinese will value their opportunity to see clearly the evil nature of the CCP, refuse the lies and not to buried with the CCP.

"Eight years of persecution has provided countless facts proving the goodness of Falun Dafa and the evil nature of the CCP. We can talk forever about this, because 100 million people have wonderful cultivation experiences to share. Countless people under persecution have terrible experiences to tell. I want to say this one sentence -- Falun Dafa is great!"

The rally lasted for an hour and a half. At the end of the activity, Falun Gong practitioners sang the song, "Falun Dafa Is Good" as a group.

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