(Minghui.org) A mainland Chinese delegation visiting Queensland’s Gold Coast was warmly welcomed by Falun Dafa practitioners on May 17, 2018.
Six thousand business delegates from the major direct-marketing herbal company Infinitus China recently converged on the entertainment precinct of Surfers Paradise for one of the tourist city’s largest-ever street parties. Falun Dafa practitioners hosted an information booth with banners and an exercise demonstration.
Several mainland Chinese enjoyed the rare opportunity to witness Falun Dafa’s meditation exercises and learn the real story behind the communist regime's brutal “crackdown” on the practice that began in 1999. Delegates stopped and read the banners, one promoting the universal values of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and the other urging them to help end the persecution of Falun Dafa in mainland China by withdrawing their membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Some of the delegates took pamphlets and photos of the demonstration with their smartphones to share the message with family and friends.
The street party also attracted visitors from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. Two people from Northern Ireland had never heard about Falun Dafa or the persecution. Especially shocked to learn that imprisoned Falun Dafa practitioners are being killed for their organs for transplant, they signed the petition and promised to look further into the issue of forced organ harvesting in China.
A local event organizer asked the practitioners to leave even though they had a valid permit to assemble. Then a Gold Coast City Council officer arrived. The practitioners explained the purpose of their event and showed him their permit. The city council officer was pleased to see that the permit had been approved and was impressed by the conduct of the practitioners.
A permit for a public assembly on the Gold Coast usually requires five days’ notice. However, the Queensland Police issued the permit within just 24 hours due to the good reputation that Falun Dafa practitioners have established over many years of holding peaceful public assemblies to expose the persecution. Queensland Falun Dafa practitioners are grateful to the Queensland Police Service for their continued support.
Category: Parades & Other Community Events
