Paris: Commemorating the April 25 Peaceful Protest

(Minghui.org) Twenty-six years ago, on April 25, 1999, ten thousand Falun Dafa practitioners peacefully petitioned at the State Appeals Office in Beijing. This event is considered one of the most peaceful and rational large-scale petitions in modern Chinese history.

Practitioners in Paris held activities on April 19 and 25, 2025, in the Châtelet area and Belleville in central Paris to commemorate the event. They told people about Falun Dafa, demonstrated the exercises, and collected signatures on a petition to end the persecution.

Practitioners held activities on April 25 to commemorate the April 25 appeal.

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises.

People sign the petition to end the persecution.

On April 25, practitioners set up an information booth near the Belleville metro station in Paris to tell people about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China. Practitioners also demonstrated the exercises and collected signatures on a petition to end the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution.

Belleville is home to many Chinese supermarkets and restaurants. Since there was a market that day, the booth drew a lot of attention. Many passersby stopped to read the posters, take flyers, or sign the petition after learning about the persecution.

Elise couldn’t hold back her tears while speaking with practitioners. She signed the petition calling for an end to forced organ harvesting and said, “It breaks my heart to see such suffering still going on today. This has to stop. Taking someone’s life just because they practice a method for physical and mental well-being is not right.”

Elise said she talked with practitioners at another event in Paris a few years ago. “This practice exudes inspiration and energy,” she said. “We need spiritual strength because it teaches us how to get along peacefully with others. I wish you good luck. You must continue to share the values of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, because these are important values to pass on to future generations. They have existed since ancient times and can guide us on the right path.”

Martha is a third-year university student and is studying law and economics in Bordeaux. She said that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are very important, especially today, when these values are so often lacking. She condemned the CCP’s forced organ harvesting from Falun Dafa practitioners and signed the petition. She decided to stay and learn the first four exercises.

Marc, a therapist from Marseille, said he’s been interested in qigong. He signed the petition and said he’d learned about the persecution in China through programs on ARTE TV and YouTube. “I can clearly tell the difference between the false propaganda on social media and the truth,” he said.

Pascal said she felt sad about the persecution. She was glad to sign the petition to end forced organ harvesting. She took more information and extra materials to share with her daughter.

Practitioners held an event to demonstrate the exercises and call for an end to the persecution in the Châtelet district of Paris.

People sign the petition to call for an end to the persecution

Carlos Gonçalves works at the airport in Paris. When he went to church that day, he saw the information booth. After learning about the persecution, including the forced organ harvesting, he was shocked and angry. “This is a massacre,” he said. “No one has the right to do this. It’s a crime against humanity.

“It’s very important to let people know what’s happening in the Chinese communist regime. If we can do something to stop it, that would be great. We are all human beings. We all have life and should be respected.

“People should come together to oppose this. They should tell everyone so this persecution can be stopped. Everyone needs to agree on this. We can stand together and stop it.

“Those who commit these crimes must be tried in international courts. Whether they are presidents or ministers, they should be found guilty and punished.”