(Clearwisdom.net) Over 500 practitioners arrived at the square in front of the Berlin Town Hall just before 8:00 a.m. and began to practice the Falun Gong exercises together. The sounds of the exercise music, the gentle movements, and the serene energy field mixing with the soft brightness of the winter morning formed a peaceful and harmonious occasion. People finding their way to work stopped to watch and get a leaflet. After 90 minutes of practice, practitioners prepared themselves for the parade.
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| Morning exercise practice | Parade |
At the front of the parade, female practitioners dressed in white carried wreath-encircled pictures of those practitioners in China whose lives were brought to a tragic end by Jiang's genocide. The color white is a traditional color of mourning in China, and reflected the deep respect and sadness which practitioners feel for those who have lost their lives to uphold Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. The parade moved at a solemn pace, and those holding the wreaths walked with the dignity that the deceased deserved, the dignity which was stripped from them by a persecution devoid of humanity which targets the innocent with torture, beatings, and abuse, and which has no respect for even the most basic human rights.
Behind the wreaths were many different bright and colorful banners. Carried by practitioners from many different countries across Europe and around the world, this colorful array of banners, with different styles and messages, reflected the variety of cultures, societies and countries where Dafa has spread, finding its home in the hearts of people from all walks of life.
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| People talking to practitioners |
The parade moved steadily down a well-knownstreet in Berlin, Unter den Linden, attracting much interest as it moved into the shopping and tourist areas of the city. Many people stopped to watch the parade, and to listen to the announcement over a loudspeaker which explained the purpose of the parade, giving a brief introduction to Falun Gong, and a description of Jiang Zemin's crimes. Large numbers of people took leaflets, and many stopping to read them on the spot, or talked with practitioners. The parade finished at the historic Brandenburg Gate, where the practitioners stood quietly holding the banners while a few short speeches were given. A group of Chinese tourists were clearly very surprised to see the parade, and the large number of western practitioners amongst them, even more so when one of them walked up to them and began to talk in Chinese about Falun Gong.
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| Appeal at Brandenburg Gate | |
Category: Parades & Other Community Events
