On the evening of Sept. 29, over sixty practitioners from Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas gathered to practice Falun Gong exercises along the intersection near the front lawn of the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Their purpose was to tell people the truth about the ongoing persecution and torture of Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China, and to hold a candlelight vigil to mourn for the 56 practitioners who have died as a result of the government sanctioned persecution. At the same time, the Chinese embassy in Los Angeles was holding a dinner reception at the Hilton Hotel to celebrate the Chinese national holiday. Almost all the guest's cars had to drive past the practitioners. Many drivers coming and going honked their horns to show their support. Also, many people rolled down their windows to receive copies of Falun Gong literature as they waited for the traffic light.
Falun Gong practitioners hoped that by holding a candlelight vigil on the day of the dinner reception for the Chinese national holiday, more attention would be drawn to the yearlong persecution of innocent people in China. Falun Gong practitioners also hoped the Chinese government would put a stop to Jiang Zemin and his followers' illegal activities. They pointed out that when an American criticizes an American president, it doesn't mean he is criticizing the American government, and it doesn't mean he is not patriotic. Furthermore, Falun Gong practitioners exposed the illegal activities of Jiang Zemin and his followers. They did not direct their criticism toward the Chinese government, nor were they unpatriotic. On the contrary, stopping Jiang and his followers' illegal activities is clearly for the benefit of China and its people.
The event started at 5:30 p.m. and lasted until 9 p.m. It was very peaceful from the beginning to the end. At parting, Falun Gong practitioners shook hands with the policemen who came to keep order.
Category: Rallies & Protests
