Germany: Falun Gong 'Information Day' in Passau

On July 5th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners held a “Falun Gong Information Day” in downtown Passau, Germany. They demonstrated Falun Gong’s five exercises to local residents and tourists, and collected signatures from the public expressing support for bringing the Chinese communist regime’s persecution against Falun Gong practitioners to an end before the onset of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Coordinating with Falun Gong practitioners were members from the German branch of Amnesty International, raising awareness of the human rights infringement and the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China. Many people stopped to sign their names and accept leaflets.

Passers-by stand in front of Falun Gong practitioners' information desk and sign a petition condemning the persecution of Falun Gong in China

As it was the weekend, the pedestrian zone of downtown Passau was jammed with people. The information desk drew the attention of numerous people. While those who already knew about the Chinese communist regime’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners signed their names immediately, there were still many people that had not heard about Falun Gong or the persecution in China. After listening to practitioners' explanations, a lot of them agreed to sign their names, too. A law scholar refused to provide a signature at the beginning for some reason even though he had heard about the persecution. After a long conversation with practitioners in depth, he changed his mind and signed his name to support practitioners’ anti-persecution appeal.