Hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners gathered in downtown Toronto on Aug. 19 for a parade marking the historic milestone of 417 million individuals withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its Youth League, and the Young Pioneers.
Throughout the parade, the participants displayed large banners bearing messages including “Calling for a New China Without the Communist Party,” “The Ultimate Goal of Communism: Destroy Mankind,” and “Falun Dafa is Good.”
Onlookers were seen taking photographs, cheering, and giving the thumbs up.
The parade began from Clarence Square Park, proceeded north on Spadina Avenue, then passed through Chinatown in the central district, continued east on College Street, turned south on Beverly Street, and circled back to Clarence Square Park.
Jiang Fan, head of the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP in Canada, stated that the purpose of the event was to show solidarity with the individuals who have made the decision to sever ties with the authoritarian regime. In addition, they hoped to send a powerful message to authorities in Beijing that the demise of the Communist Party is fast approaching.
CCP ‘Shouldn’t Exist’
Markham residents Cecilia Tam and her friend Jerry Gluckowsky, who watched the parade, said they were concerned about the history of human rights violations by the CCP.Ms. Tam, who was born in Canada to parents who immigrated from Hong Kong, said she has seen news about China and has heard a lot from her parents about the CCP’s brutality. In addition to other issues, the regime has faced criticism for its suppression of the 2019 democracy movement in Hong Kong.
“Wherever the Communist Party goes, there’s trouble. It destroys democracy and freedom, and violates human rights,” she told The Epoch Times. “This world shouldn’t have the Communist Party, it shouldn’t exist, and it should be expelled from the world.”
Mr. Gluckowsky said that over 400 million people quitting the CCP indicates the widespread rejection of communism.
He noted that freedom is inherent to humans, and if there’s no Communist Party, people will have the freedom to uphold their beliefs.
“The Communist Party is doing evil worldwide,” Mr. Gluckowsky said. “I know that many people have been harmed, human rights are being violated, and this is unacceptable. People should have basic freedoms, as it’s inherent to human nature. Nobody likes the Communist Party because they violate human rights and act against the people.”
