(Minghui.org) The Fifth World Holocaust Forum on January 23, 2020, entitled “Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism,” took place at the Yad Vashem Museum in Israel.

The forum was timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp by the Red Army, and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In preparation for the event, Falun Gong practitioners from Israel gathered signatures on a petition to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

The petition reads:

“We swore - Never Again!

“The holocaust of the Jewish people shocked humanity and brought the bottomless depravity of human evil to an unprecedented low. Today we are witnessing a historic event in which leaders from around the world stand together and acknowledge the unimaginable atrocities that took place in the 1940s.

“When the truth of what had occurred in the concentration camps was revealed, no one could have ever imagined that such evil existed. If some of the world’s leaders would have faced the evil back then with the same determination with which they face it today, how much suffering and how many lives could have been spared?

“Atrocities are today taking place in China – a murderous campaign against millions of innocent Chinese civilians – Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetans, Christians, Uyghurs – carried out by the Chinese regime itself. In addition, forced organ harvesting from innocent prisoners of conscience is taking place on a very large scale, in some cases while the victims are still alive. The testimonies are horrifying and the evil portrayed is inconceivable.

“The U.S. House of Representatives and the European Parliament, as well as many other governing bodies, have already condemned this crime, nonetheless many world leaders act like their predecessors during World War II and ignore the issue.

“There is no comparison between the Holocaust of the Jewish people and the horror that is happening in China today. However, we need to implement one of the major lessons the world should derive from the Holocaust of the Jewish people - not to stand on the sidelines and remain silent.

“We call upon you, World Leaders – do not make the same mistakes made by the leaders of the world during World War II. Acknowledge the suffering of the victims of genocide taking place in China right now and take a moral stance against this heinous crime.

“History will remember those who speak out and do not remain silent in the face of the horrors.”

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The petition was signed by doctors, rabbis, academics, intellectuals, and artists.

The petition was also sent to the president of Israel, Mr. Reuven Rivlin, and to all participants of the event. Falun Gong practitioners from other countries also sent the petition to their leaders.

Leaders of 45 countries attended the conference. Twenty-six presidents, including the presidents of Germany, France, Russia, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Austria; four kings, including the kings of Spain, Holland, Belgium, and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Vice President of the United States Mike Pence; the Crown Prince of Great Britain (Charles, Prince of Wales) and the Crown Prince of Norway; governor generals of Canada and Australia, four prime ministers, including the prime ministers of Monaco and Denmark; three chairmen of parliament, including the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress and the chairmen of the Parliaments of Belarus; a representative of the Vatican; and the presidents of the European Parliament, the European Council, and the European Commission.

The Forum—“Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism”—was one of the greatest summits in the history of the state of Israel.

One of the key issues discussed was the fact that the nations of the world remained silent in the face of the atrocities inflicted on the Jewish people during the Holocaust. Falun Gong practitioners in Israel saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners that is currently taking place in China today, and of the issue of forced organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China.

The petition sparked the interest of major media channels in Israel and was published on several news websites. An Israeli practitioner was interviewed on the radio and elaborated on the subject.