This year marks the 32nd anniversary of one of the most famous and historically impactful speeches delivered in American History. On June 12th, 1987, President Ronald Reagan gave his famous address in front of the Brandenburg Gate, between East and West Germany, at the Berlin Wall.
The Victims Communism Memorial Foundation hosted the twelfth wreath-laying ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 14. Participants warned that communism is still jeopardizing the world today, and called the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) the biggest threat of all tyrannical regimes.
In front of the Victims of Communism Memorial, diplomats from more than 26 countries and regions, and representatives of more than 50 human rights groups presented wreaths to mourn the victims who died from communist tyranny around the world.
Lee Edwards, Chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, gave one of many speeches during the event.
“We will never ever forget the victims of a genocidal system that deserves one and only one place, and that is to be buried on the ash heap of history,” Edwards stated.
In the past 100 years, communism has been responsible for one hundred million deaths worldwide, with many of them occurring on Chinese soil.
The founder of the Initiative for China/Citizen Power, Yang Jianli, spoke with NTD about the significance of the commemorative event.
“In fact, today’s activity, the activity in Hong Kong and the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre, these all told us one fact—that communism has not disappeared in the world, but is still jeopardizing it; and the biggest source of the threat is the CCP,” he said.
This year marks the 20th anniversary since the Chinese Communist Party began its systematic suppression of the spiritual development group Falun Gong, on July 20th, 1999. Human Rights activists believe that for decades, the Chinese Communist Party has kept the facts of the persecution hidden. In an effort to expose the truth, Falun Gong practitioners have been clarifying the facts to people are the world for the past two decades.
Alan Adler, Executive Director of Friends of Falun Gong: “The [Falun Gong] practitioners have been letting the people know about the true situation of the persecution for all these years. It is one of the first times that any group has had to counteract such a high technology persecution, and one that has been under the radar for so long.”
The Chinese people’s continuous fight for basic human rights and freedom of belief has also motivated people in the free world to join the cause.
Lee Edwards, Chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, also took a moment to speak with NTD about the global outreach and effort to spread uncensored facts.
“That is a terrific inspiration to us, and we feel that we must join with them in calling attention to the denial of religious freedom in China. And I believe that the end of the Communist Party of China is nearer than they realize,” he stated.
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