MELBOURNE, Australia—For Australians, April 25 is a day to remember the sacrifice of the ANZAC troops and the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives at Gallipoli in Turkey in World War I. Worldwide, practitioners of Falun Gong remember April 25, 1999 as the day when over 10,000 practitioners gathered in a peaceful protest at the National Appeals Office outside the Communist Party headquarters at Zhongnanhai, Beijing, China.
“In many ways, [the Zhongnanhai protest] was the event that sparked off the persecution of Falun Gong,” explained Michael Pearson-Smith, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association of Victoria Inc.
Falun Gong practitioners from all over the Melbourne Metro region lined up along the Princes Bridge in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD on April 25 to acknowledge the 10-year anniversary of that fateful day.
“[Anzac Day] is a sacred occasion for Australians. We thought about this and we thought that, well, those people were fighting for freedom and this is what the whole Falun Gong story is about. It’s about freedom of belief and freedom of expression,” said Mr Pearson-Smith.
“In many ways, [the Zhongnanhai protest] was the event that sparked off the persecution of Falun Gong,” explained Michael Pearson-Smith, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association of Victoria Inc.
Falun Gong practitioners from all over the Melbourne Metro region lined up along the Princes Bridge in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD on April 25 to acknowledge the 10-year anniversary of that fateful day.
“[Anzac Day] is a sacred occasion for Australians. We thought about this and we thought that, well, those people were fighting for freedom and this is what the whole Falun Gong story is about. It’s about freedom of belief and freedom of expression,” said Mr Pearson-Smith.