Germany: Shopkeepers and Storeowners on Unter den Linden Praised the Falun Gong Parade

With soothing Chinese music in the background, the Falun Gong parade passed though Unter den Linden in Berlin. Men and women of different ages and nationalities held flower wreaths or banners, with messages in different languages. Passerby looked on in awe and the police, who would usually be tense while monitoring parades, were relaxed as if taking a leisurely walk. The police would only react when impatient cars attempted to cut through the parade.

This scene was on the most famous avenue in the capital of Germany, and it undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention. Whether they were tourists or German residents, people stopped to watch and talked curiously with one another about the parade. Perhaps it was because onlookers could only catch the general idea of the parade by reading the banners: “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance”, “Falun Dafa is Good”, “Stop Persecuting Falun Gong”, “Stop the Killing” and “Support the Lawsuit Against the Criminals who Persecute Falun Gong Practitioners”.

Shopkeepers and storeowners on both sides of Unter den Linden had witnessed similar scenes many times before. They could even answer the question posed by passersby, even though each time they could not come out to watch.

The shopkeepers could tell people that the participants in the parade were Falun Gong practitioners and that they do a form of slow moving exercises and follow the principles on the banners. They could also tell people that practitioners are healthy in both mind and body, and they are always good people. As well as this, they knew that Falun Gong practitioner’s were peaceful, that the music they played was soft and moving and that those who handed out information were always polite. Whether or not people took the flyers containing the information or not, they always said thanks.

When one shopkeeper was speaking to a passerby, he began to speak a bit more and as a result the passerby became impatient since the parade was passing away. Still, the passerby did not have all of his questions answered. One of the questions that was asked was “What’s the purpose of the parade?”The shopkeeper answered that it was because Falun Gong was banned in China, many people have been detained, persecuted and tortured to death for holding fast to their belief in truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Practitioners wanted to appeal to people to pay attention to this issue and put an end to the persecution as early as possible. More questions followed “Why is suing Jiang Zemin written on the banner? Who is Jiang Zemin?” This time, the shopkeeper was hesitant, “Well, well, the lawsuit…” One of the practitioners however answered the question, “Jiang Zemin is the former president of China. He is the director and the instigator of the persecution of Falun Gong. Because of jealousy and his desire for power, and regardless of the opposition of other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau towards the persecution, he began this persecution. Under his orders, the “610” office, a Gestapo like organisation, was established specifically for abusing Falun Gong practitioners. He also handed down secret orders; such as “If someone is beaten to death, regard it as a natural death. Bodies should directly be cremated without checking their identities.” He also ordered to “defame [practitioners’] their reputations, bankrupt them financially and destroy them physically.” He tries to eliminate all good people who believe in truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

“The persecution started by Jiang Zemin has reached the level of genocide. Now, he and his accomplices are being sued in several countries, such as America and France. Many high-ranking officials, who are carrying out Jiang’s orders, have been judged as criminals. These people are facing imprisonment if they go abroad. Last year, Germany has passed an international criminal law. This is the first time a law has been passed that says if a criminal seriously violate International law, he/she can be sued in Germany; even if the criminal deeds were not committed in Germany or have nothing to do with Germany. Therefore, we have decided to sue Jiang Zemin in Germany, and bring him to court.”

The shopkeeper and passersby finally realised the facts. They accepted flyers and saw off the parade with a serious mood and admiring eyes. Some passersby followed the parade in order to learn more. The shopkeeper carefully read the contents of the flyers at the door. We realised that the peaceful and serene feelings when the Falun Gong parade passed by were not because of the surroundings, but because of the tranquil air that practitioners carry.