(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held an event in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, on July 24, 2021, to raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 22-year-long persecution of their faith. They read aloud letters from members of the German parliament (Bundestag) and other elected officials who joined them in condemning the CCP for the abuses it has committed against Falun Dafa practitioners.
Practitioners held activities in Munich, Germany on July 24, 2021, to raise awareness of the CCP’s 22-year-long persecution of Falun Dafa.
As pandemic restrictions eased in Germany, Marienplatz in downtown Munich is once again filled with people who came out to enjoy the lovely summer weather. Many people stopped to watch the practitioners’ exercise demonstration and listen as support letters from German legislators were read out loud.
Display boards and banners worded “Falun Dafa Spreads Across the World” and “The CCP Conducts Organ Harvesting from Living Falun Gong Practitioners” also drew people’s attention. As practitioners read aloud letters from parliamentarians, passersby slowed down and talked with practitioners. Many people signed a petition to condemn the persecution in China.
A practitioner reads aloud letters from members of the German parliament.
Practitioners give out fliers about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China.
Passersby sign a petition to condemn the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa.
Among the letters from elected officials, four are from Bavaria: Sebastian Brehm MdB (CDU/CSU), member of the Federal Commission for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid; Sandra Bubendorfer-Licht MdB (FDP) of the Liberal Democratic Party; Margarete Bause MdB (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) of the Green Party and spokesperson for human rights and humanitarian aid; and Joachim Hanisch (MdL, Freie Wähler), member of the Bavarian parliament.
Upper left: Sebastian Brehm MdB; Lower left: Margarete Bause MdB; Upper right: Joachim Hanisch, member of the Bavarian state parliament; Lower right: Sandra Bubendorfer-Licht MdB
Representative of the Leading Party: CCP Must Stop Persecution Immediately
Sebastian Brehm MdB stated in his letter, “On behalf of all members of the German Bundestag who support [Falun Gong practitioners], I would like to extend my sincere greetings to you. We ask China [the CCP] to respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.
“For decades, the Communist Party has suppressed the peaceful meditation movement. This crime must stop! The actions taken against spiritual groups such as Falun Gong have violated all obligations to international law that China assumed through signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“The behavior of the Chinese Communist Party leaders is barbaric and inhumane, and this must be clearly recorded. Arbitrary arrest, forced labor, torture and theft of human organs are all crimes against humanity that must be brought to justice.”
Brehm also called on the Chinese government “to respect international norms and the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China has signed, to immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and to release all Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience being imprisoned. The CCP must stop the act of stealing organs.” As a member of the Human Rights Committee, he said he would do his best to achieve this goal.
Finally, Brehm expressed his gratitude to Falun Gong practitioners for their input, dedication, and commitment to peace and human rights. He encouraged practitioners to continue to use all their strength to stand up for the values of peace, freedom, democracy and human rights.
MdB from Liberal Democratic Party: I Will Work Hard for the Freedom and Rights of Falun Gong
Sandra Bubendorfer-Licht MdB stated in her letter, “In the past 22 years, Falun Gong practitioners in China have been persecuted, arrested, and subjected to the most cruel torture in prisons and labor camps. Falun Gong is a tradition that integrates spiritual beliefs, life principles, and meditation methods.
“For the Liberal Democratic Party of the German Bundestag, the protection of human rights and religious freedom is our top priority.
“The persecution of those who yearn for freedom and democracy and who only want to control themselves and live freely makes me very sad. As a person who pursues freedom and democracy, I am amazed by the way the Chinese government persecutes human rights, and strongly condemn this behavior.
“Detention of political prisoners, especially live organ harvesting, is something that our free and democratic society must strongly oppose. For the EU, especially from the perspective of economic relations with China, we cannot remain silent on this.
“Those who are threatened today because of their beliefs need the support of our Liberal Democrats. The EU must resolutely, and without exception, draw a line with it, point out such behavior and impose sanctions on it. Religion and freedom of speech are the fundamental values of democratic ideals, so practicing Falun Gong should be free and legal.
“China is the second largest trading partner of Germany and the European Union. Now is the time for the European Union and the German governments to take a tougher stance on the Chinese government’s violation of human rights. We can no longer stand by idly.
“We Liberal Democrats will continue to devote all of our energy to the protection of human rights throughout the world, and will oppose all organizations and countries that violate democratic values or human rights.
“My heart is with the people who are persecuted in China. My colleagues in the Human Rights Working Group of the Liberal Democratic Party of the German Parliament and I will work hard for the freedom and rights of Falun Gong.”
Passerby: My Heart Bleeds When I Hear about the CCP’s Organ Harvesting
Practitioners raise awareness of the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa.
Many people who stopped to talk to practitioners signed the petition to condemn the persecution in China, and even more signed after listening to the support letters from elected officials.
Early childhood educator Alexandra Wendler said after signing, “I feel that when a person is treated like a commodity and locked up in a cage—there is no legal protection at all. When someone needs organs, he has to die. We all live and breathe on the same earth, there is no second earth. Hearing these [the CCP’s organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners], my heart is bleeding.” Ms. Wendler said, “This is a crime which has never been seen in history.”
When she learned that the CCP does not allow people to practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, she said, “This is a spiritual thing and belongs to the soul. The human soul must be free, and no one can prohibit it.” She mentioned a well-known German folk song, “Thoughts are Free” (Die Gedanken sind frei), to illustrate that people’s thoughts cannot be forbidden.
Two women stopped and watched the exercise demonstration and listened as a practitioner explained the persecution and the CCP’s organ harvesting atrocities. They discussed whether they should sign but hesitated as they thought their signatures would not help much.
The practitioner reminded them of an old proverb that dripping water wears away stone. She said each signature should not be underestimated; one person does not have much power, but the power of the masses is mighty. They thought it made sense.
The practitioner then told them that, on the surface, people sign the petition to ask the German government to pay attention and pressure the CCP to stop the persecution. But at a deeper level, she explained, people are showing their hearts to the divine and standing up to wrong deeds.
She told them about the ancient Chinese proverb that “Man proposes, God disposes;” as more and more people stand up to stop the CCP’s crimes, and when there are more and more voices of justice, the seemingly powerful CCP will be wiped out. No one expected that the Berlin Wall would fall overnight, she said.
The two women heartily agreed and both signed the petition.
Background
Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) was first taught to the public in 1992. Nearly 100 million people across China were soon practicing after experiencing improvements in their health and character. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban Falun Gong on July 20, 1999.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in the persecution over the past 22 years; the actual number is suspected to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.
There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the state-run organ transplant industry.
Under Jiang's personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Gong.
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Category: July 20 Events
