(Minghui.org) Joining community celebrations of the nation's liberty, Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) groups participated in Independence Day parades across the United States. The following are reports on local Falun Gong groups' participation in parades in Kirkland, Washington and Plano, Texas.
Kirkland, Washington
Seventy-four groups formed the parade in Kirkland, Washington themed “Celebrate Kirkland, United We Stand!”
The Falun Gong procession featured the spirited performances of the group's waist drum team, winning warm applause from spectators.
Falun Gong group performs in Kirkland's Independence Day Parade
A woman in an outdoor dining place asked a practitioner for a flyer as their procession passed by. She said, “This is wonderful! I like their colorful uniforms!”
Falun Gong booth in Marina Park after the Kirkland Independence Day Parade
For the celebration in Kirkland, Falun Gong practitioners also set up a booth in Marina Park. They distributed paper-folded lotus flowers, a symbol of purity amidst adversity, and informed people about the ongoing persecution of the peaceful meditation in China. Many visitors signed a petition condemning the persecution.
Parade in Plano, Texas
The annual parade in the City of Plano was held on Independence Parkway. Tens of thousands of people lined the parade route.
Falun Gong practitioners participate in the annual Independence Day parade in the City of Plano, Texas
With the rapid development of the Greater Dallas region, Plano has attracted a large number of Chinese and other Asians to work and live.
In addition to demonstrating the exercises on the parade float, the practitioners also distributed flyers along the route.
Upon receiving a flyer, a woman who was the head of a local Kiwanis club invited the practitioners to the club to teach Falun Gong exercises in August.
Banners in the parade
Demonstrating the exercises on float
Distributing flyers to the spectators
Sarah Depew, who is running for state representative, brought her campaign team to the parade. She talked with a practitioner and was appalled by the Chinese communist regime's state-sanctioned organ harvesting from imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners.
Related article in Chinese: Parade in Plano
