Italy: Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day

On May 11 and 12, Italian Falun Gong practitioners held activities in Milan to celebrate the 14th anniversary of World Falun Dafa Day and the 21 st anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction to the public. They also celebrated the birthday of the founder of Falun Gong, Master Li Hongzhi.

On Saturday afternoon, the practitioners set up an information stand in Milan to let passersby know about Falun Dafa. Both veteran and new practitioners have had very positive experiences in Falun Dafa. Their gratitude for Master Li cannot be expressed in words.

Practitioners behave in accordance with the principles of Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance. When a conflict occurs, they look inward and always consider others first. The efforts of Falun Gong practitioners who have stood up for justice in the face of the brutal persecution in China have inspired others to help end the injustice.

Italian practitioners wish Master Li a happy birthday

Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises

People read the petition boards and talk to practitioners to find out more about Falun Gong

People sign the petition calling for an end to the persecution against Falun Gong

An endless stream of both locals and visitors signed the petition to help end the persecution. Many Italians expressed a desire to help, and some even said that they would use their blog to let more people know the truth. Others said, "I would like to practise Falun Gong!"

On Sunday afternoon the “Quit the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)” booth caught the attention of Chinese people in the area. Falun Dafa has been embraced throughout the world for 21 years, and overseas Chinese in Italy are among those who have observed Falun Gong practitioners' constant efforts to bring the persecution to an end. It is notable that, among the Chinese in Italy, many have come to understand the truth. Initially they were hostile, but they have finally come to admire Falun Gong. “More and more Chinese began to eagerly listen to the truth," a practitioner said.

“Have you heard about quitting the three CCP organizations for a safe future?” A practitioner asked a passing-by Chinese. The person immediately said, "Falun Gong!" The practitioners often distribute truth-clarification materials in front of the Chinese Consulate and in Chinatown, so many people initially learned about Falun Gong and the message regarding quitting the CCP at those places. The practitioner asked him if he had ever joined the CCP. He replied, "I'm not a member of the Communist Party, I earn my own money, it has nothing to do with the Communist Party!" Those Chinese who discern good and evil from the heart want to make a clean break with the communist regime and disassociate themselves from it. After the practitioner clarified the truth further to him, he readily then quit the Young Pioneers.

A mother passing by with her two children started to grumble, "Falun Gong, saying the Communist Party is not good." Hearing her complaint, a practitioner told her, "Falun Gong says that the Communist Party is not good, because the Party has indeed done horrible things!" The practitioner continued to explain and mentioned organ harvesting. The mother turned her head to listen but did not stop. When her children heard the words "organ harvesting," they were shocked, wide-eyed. They could not imagine such a thing and finally took a leaflet to understand in more detail the truth of the situation.

A young man asked the practitioners, "Why do you want to practise Falun Gong rather than anything else?" One practitioner told him about his personal experience. Before he practised Falun Gong, he had tried other exercises to cope with his poor health, but he did not get well and his bad temper certainly didn't improve. In fact, tt wasn't uncommon for him to hit other people. He described himself as the kind of person who would pick money off the ground and keep it if he saw it. He pursued fame and fortune, which exhausted him mentally and physically. When he started practising Falun Gong, his health recovered. By behaving according to Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance, he felt happy, steady, and confident every day. The practitioner said, "Why would the CCP forbid people from practising it and even send those good people to jail? The CCP does such evil things – such as live organ harvesting! Can you say why?" The young man finally understood and quit the CCP.

Chinese people in Italy learn about Falun Gong

The practitioner was explaining the facts to an older Chinese couple who were visiting Italy. When they heard that Jiang Zemin, the main culprit in the persecution of Falun Gong, had been prosecuted in many countries because of his crimes against humanity and other crimes, they nodded and asked, "When will Jiang stand trial publicly?"

May 13 is World Falun Dafa Day, a day of celebration for Falun Gong practitioners. However, due to the continued persecution, there is a world of difference between mainland China and the outside world. Practitioner Xiao Zhang, who came to Milan to participate in the celebration, commented, "We are here enjoying the beauty of Falun Dafa in a place where we can practice freely and peacefully. But in China, good people who practice Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance are brutally persecuted, and countless Chinese have been poisoned by the CCP's vicious lies. Those people who have been fooled by the regime's propaganda then go on to behave badly by adding fuel to the flames. They then lose their belief in Gods, and the whole society has no moral code anymore. The consequences are dire."

He believes that Falun Gong practitioners are acting as God's messengers by telling people the truth to save them before it is too late, that Chinese people must quickly quit from the CCP in order to ensure their safety. "Everyone needs to remember that Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!"