(Minghui.org) On July 20, Falun Gong practitioners from Sydney held a rally outside of Queen Victoria Building, calling upon the public to help stop the persecution in China. Many people signed the petition, and some of them learned the exercises.

Practitioners' display boards

Group exercises

Signing the petition

Diane Hiles, a Green Party politician from Sydney, spoke at the rally. She condemned the Chinese government's forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and called upon the Australian government to take action to stop the crime. Zhang Xiaogang, a Chinese democracy movement activist, briefly reviewed the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong and other religious groups in China.

Several practitioners told of their experiences of being tortured in China. Janie, a Chinese practitioner, recalled the beginning of the persecution: “When I first heard about the self-immolation, I had only read Zhuan Falun once. I asked myself, 'Is there any teaching in Zhuan Falun that pushes a practitioner to commit suicide? No, absolutely not. In the teachings of Falun Gong, committing suicide is sin.' So I told myself that the self-immolation was fake. The Chinese government has created a lot of propaganda to attack Falun Gong. That is why we have tried to clarify the truth to the public.”

Steve, a practitioner, sang the song “World of Genocide,” calling on people to pay more attention to the genocide in China.

People learning the truth about Falun Gong.

Many people stopped by and listened to the speeches. Anthea, a local, has seen similar events many times. She has expressed her support for Falun Gong every time. A group of college students were interested in meditation. They joined the practitioners and learned the exercises. Many Chinese tourists were drawn to the event. Some of them took photos, some viewed the truth-clarifying displaying boards, and some even signed the petition to condemn the persecution. Queenie, a Chinese girl, said to practitioners, “This is Falun Dafa. It is suppressed in China.” Her mother said to her, “Falun Gong is good. The Chinese government lied about it. It is actually really good.” Queenie accepted many truth-clarifying materials and signed the petition.

Amy, a practitioner, rode five hours by train to attend the event

Amy has been practicing Falun Gong for two years. Today, she took a five-hour train to attend the event. “I am happy to tell people what Falun Dafa is. I hope when more people learn the truth, the persecution will stop. I also want to people how I benefit from practicing Falun Gong both physically and mentally. My life is full of sunshine now. I work at many farms all over the country, and I've seen Falun Gong practitioners in many cities. One day I joined them in a park when I was in Queensland. I felt strong energy going through my body. I realized that it is a special practice. That is how I started,” Amy said.

Learning the exercises.

Many people watched the group exercise demonstration. Some of them learned the exercises and some asked for contact information for the local exercise sites.

The candlelight vigil

At 5:30 on July 21, practitioners held a candlelight vigil in Bradfield Park, commemorating those who were tortured to death during the persecution.