(Clearwisdom.net) On the afternoon of July 17, 2009, a sea of banners and display boards carried by Falun Gong practitioners was seen again in a grand march on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington DC. Every year around July 20, the spectacular scene appears in the U.S. capital, and year by year, passersby have become more and more aware and concerned about Falun Gong practitioners' words and actions.

July 20, 2009 marks the tenth year of the Falun Gong practitioners' efforts to end the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This year, the march stepped off at 12:30 p.m. on the western lawn of Capitol Hill, and proceeded down Pennsylvania Ave. Over a dozen huge banners were held by practitioners walking at the front of the procession. The messages on the banners included, "Falun Dafa is Great," "Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong in China," "Bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang to Justice," and "Only When CCP is Gone Will the Persecution End." Falun Gong practitioners of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds carried countless banners and display boards bearing the messages, "Falun Dafa is Great" and "The World Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."

Many passersby on the route took flyers from practitioners and said, "We support you." Many Chinese spectators sincerely expressed their support for Falun Gong.

Ms. Wei came to the United States from southern China over 20 years ago. When the procession passed by her, she watched attentively and told the reporter, "I feel that Falun Gong is great."

Speaking about the CCP's crimes in persecuting the Chinese people, Ms. Wei raised her voice and said, "The CCP came to the United States to monitor the Chinese people, I think this is terrible. Many people have come to the United states, because they do not want to stay in China under the CCP's rule. They want to enjoy freedom and democracy here."

Ms. Wei added that the American government should not allow the CCP to come to the United States to undermine democracy. She added, "As for those who persecute Falun Gong in China, if they are here in the United States, they should be deported."

On the spot, Ms. Wei renounced the Young Pioneers organization affiliated with the CCP that she had joined years ago, so that she will have no association with it when the CCP collapses.

A woman surnamed Zhang stood on the street, watching the march. When the reporter asked her if this was the first time that she had seen such a march, she answered, "Yes, I came to the United States to help my daughter take care of her kids, I won't stay here long. This is the first time that I've seen such a spectacular march [by Falun Gong practitioners]. I'm impressed. There are also many non-Chinese in the march, too."

Ms. Zhang was surprised to hear that people in over 100 countries and regions are practicing Falun Gong, but only people in China are persecuted for practicing. Upon learning that the CCP even harvests organs from living Falun Gong practitioners for sale, Ms. Zhang said that she had not heard about the live organ harvesting, but she stated that it is wrong that the CCP does so. She added that people in China can't hear any news about Falun Gong on the surface, but she knew that the arrests of Falun Gong practitioners are all done covertly.

Background:

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice,

and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Today, Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in over 100 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.

On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Since the start of the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners throughout the world have been constantly speaking out about the truth of Falun Gong and exposing the CCP's crimes in a tireless effort to end the persecution.

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