Italy: Anti-torture Exhibition Touches People’s Conscience in Milan

On the 20th of March, Italian Falun Dafa practitioners went to Cardusio Square and held an anti-torture exhibition to let the public know about the Chinese Communist Party’s evil persecution against their fellow practitioners in China. Many tourist groups from Mainland China also saw the exhibition.

Practitioners re-enacted two methods of torture used to force practitioners in China to give up their beliefs. They also laid out photographs and pictures showing the many other forms of torture that practitioners are suffering. A banner revealed to people that what they could see is really happening in China at this moment. Another group of practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises near a banner which read “Falun Dafa is Great!”

One of the practitioners who re-enacted the torture was locked in a “small cell”. A small cell is a cage with just enough space for one person. Since the width of the cube-shaped cage is less than 1.5 metres, one cannot stand up or lie down. Often the cage has dirty water on the floor and the walls have protruding nails all over them.

The other torture that was re-enacted was the tiger-bench. The victim is tied on a narrow wooden or iron bench by the thighs and knees, with hands tied behind the back. The legs are then bent in the opposite direction by adding bricks under the heels. This torture creates excruciating pain.

The anti-torture exhibition caught the attention of many passers-by. People living in an environment of peace and freedom tend to be shocked at such cruelty. Although we told them time and again that this was just a demonstration, many people were anxious and asked if the Italian practitioners were really being persecuted. From their concern and sympathy, we saw that their conscience was touched by the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

After looking at the anti-torture exhibition and reading the posters that explain the methods of torture, many people came to us on their own initiative and signed a petition calling on the Chinese Communist Party to stop persecuting Falun Gong. So many people signed the petition that there were not enough forms. People did not let this stop them and many signed on the back of the petitions to show their support for Falun Gong practitioners’ human rights. After signing the petition, they sincerely hoped that the efforts we made would be successful in stopping the persecution as soon as possible.

Three ambulance men with the Red Cross insignia came to the anti-torture exhibition from an ambulance that was parked nearby. They seemed very worried and asked us if we needed any help. One of the practitioners hurried over, gave them leaflets and explained what we were doing. The three ambulance men thanked us and left. They were relieved that no one was really suffering torture in our exhibition. But it is still important to remember that the reason behind these events is that these tortures really are happening in China at the moment and Falun Gong practitioners are suffering.

Italian practitioners now fully understand that the success of each activity depends a great deal on their cultivation and cooperation. Two western practitioners had specially prepared an exhibition board and another had designed a poster for collecting signatures. Wisdom and cooperation made up for the deficiencies of their preparation at the early stage.

Practitioners have regularly been promoting Falun Gong and raising awareness of the persecution on the streets of Milan for a while now. On nearly one hundred weekends in the past two years, practitioners have been in Milan City Centre Square in all kinds of weather. Among them, an elderly practitioner over seventy has never been absent. He always comes to take part in the activity at the weekend and he goes out of his way to be responsible for carrying exhibition boards and some other materials. All practitioners hope that their efforts will help more people learn the truth about Falun Gong and have an opportunity of choosing their future. Anti-torture exhibitions and activities to promote Falun Gong will not stop until the persecution ends.