(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners were joined by people from all walks of life in a rally to protest the persecution in China at Customs House Square in Sydney on July 8, 2022.
Non-practitioner participants commended Falun Dafa for offering people a path to peace of mind and physical and mental health. They thanked practitioners for their perseverance and efforts to expose the 23-year-long persecution. They also condemned the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa.
Candlelight vigil held to commemorate Dafa practitioners who died in the CCP’s persecution.
Silvana Nero, wife of the Rev. Hon. Fred Nile MLC, read his letter of support during the rally. Rev. Nile is the former Christian Democratic Party Leader. In his letter, he said that in the 1990s the CCP welcomed the spiritual movement Falun Gong. The Party recognised the benefits of practicing Falun Gong on physical and mental health, and praised Falun Gong for its extraordinary contribution to the stability and morality of Chinese society. The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that Falun Gong is based on guides people to improve their morality.
Rev. Nile said, “Falun Gong practitioners should not be incarcerated as they do not violate the law. They should be allowed to practice their belief freely. They become healthy as they practice according to the principles, which are derived from traditional Chinese culture. Modern China must restore these principles.”
Silvana Nero, wife of the Rev. Hon. Fred Nile MLC, reads his letter during the rally.
David Flint AM, Emeritus Professor of Law, said, “We must firmly support Falun Gong. We must keep requesting our government to take the strongest stand against this [persecution].”
Prof. Flint called on the government to unite with its allies, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and encourage them to take a similarly tough stance. He encouraged everyone to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
He also condemned the CCP’s organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners and said it was outrageous and that any civilised nation should ban it. He called on people to pay attention to any regime that engages in such shameful activities.
Prof. David Flint AM addressed the rally.
Paul Folley, general manager of the Christian non-profit organisation Australian TFP (Tradition, Family, Property), said, “It is time for Australia to wake up. It is time for the conscience of our society to wake up. The attitude towards the persecution of Falun Gong and others reflects our attitude towards each other as Australians. It reflects our humanity. Hopefully we can do what we can to help those who are suffering.”
Paul Folley, general manager of the Christian non-profit organisation Australian TFP, speaks during the rally.
Mehmet Obul, President of the Uyghur Association of Australia, talked about his personal experience with the CCP’s slandering Falun Gong.
“The first time I heard about Falun Gong was during summer vacation at the end of July 1999,” he said. “I was a university teacher in Xinjiang, China. We were on vacation and were suddenly asked to return to school for an emergency meeting. The university president declared that Falun Gong was a religious organisation of some sort, without giving any further explanation. After that, we had to attend a political study session every Wednesday afternoon. We were forced to criticise Falun Gong. If anyone expressed their own opinions they would risk losing their jobs or would be imprisoned.”
He continued, “When I settled down in Australia in 2003, I learned a lot about the truth about Falun Gong. Practicing Falun Gong is a good thing. China’s policies and repression are actually wrong. All the CCP’s propaganda is fake.”
Mehmet Obul, President of the Uyghur Association of Australia, talked about his first-hand experiences in China.
Nathan Hsu, a democracy activist, said, “The CCP is based on atheism and prohibits the existence of other ideologies. Facing the CCP’s persecution, Falun Gong has not yielded. Outside of China, they have established media to spread the truth and condemn the CCP’s persecution of the Chinese people. Practitioners have shown fearless courage and have made great efforts to wake up the sleeping Chinese people.”
Australian barrister Sophie York sent a letter of support and said that Falun Gong has brought peace of mind and physical and mental health to many Chinese people.
She sent her best wishes to all Falun Dafa practitioners and encouraged them with, “Your perseverance will win. You have my support and the support of countless civilised people around the world. Never give up!”
Democracy advocate Nathan Hsu addressed the rally.
Dr. Lucy Zhao, director of the Australian Falun Dafa Association, said, “The CCP’s brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners has always been a challenge to governments and people around the world.
“I would like to thank all those who choose to stand up against this atrocity and oppose this brutal killing regime. You are helping the Chinese who are suffering and cannot speak for themselves. You are helping to prevent more tragedies and more killings, and make this world become a better one for future generations.”
Dr. Lucy Zhao, director of the Australian Falun Dafa Association, speaks in the rally.
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide.
Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.
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 on July 20, 1999, issued an order to ban the practice. Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organisation with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is believed to be much higher. Many 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 organ transplant industry.
Chinese version available
(Clearwisdom)
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