(Clearwisdom.net) On July 7, 2007, Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in the Fourth Multicultural Festival in Augsburg, the third largest city in Bayern, Germany. With the theme of "peace, freedom and respect for beliefs" the Festival was much welcomed by local residents and people from its neighboring cities. It was the third time that Falun Gong practitioners were invited to demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises at the Festival.
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In addition to performing the five sets of the Falun Gong exercises, Falun Gong practitioners also participated in a grand parade, along with over thirty other groups from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Congo, and people from various ethic groups in Germany. Composed of Chinese and Western practitioners donning golden yellow uniforms or Falun Gong T-shirts, the Falun Gong group drew many spectators from both sides of the street.
When the practitioners were performing the exercises on the stage, many spectators were so enchanted with the practice that they wanted to learn the exercises on the spot. They said that they couldn't imagine that such peaceful and kind-hearted practitioners were illegally arrested and imprisoned, and their internal organs were even harvested.
After the demonstration of the exercises, many spectators went to the Falun Gong booth to view the truth-clarification photos on display. Upon learning about the Chinese Communist regime's atrocities in history and the inhuman methods of the persecution against Falun Gong, they signed to support the protest against the Chinese regime's persecution and atrocious tyranny. They also expressed their admiration for Falun Gong practitioners' courage in exposing the persecution. Furthermore, they encouraged the practitioners to persist in this regard.
After participating in the festival activities and learning the facts of the persecution, one woman commented, "To my understanding, two thirds of China's 1.4 billion population are farmers. Due to arbitrary collection of taxes and fees, requisition of donations and expropriation of farmland for construction, the overwhelming majority of the farmers cannot meet their basic needs for subsistence. As a result of the polarized differences in wealth, people's lives are not properly protected. Given these facts, how can a government without basic human rights and freedom of speech host the Olympic Games, which is symbolic of peace, freedom and unity? On this issue, every government and its people should make a wise judgment and do what is right."
