(Minghui.org) To mark the 27th anniversary of the April 25 appeal in Beijing, Falun Dafa practitioners held a rally in front of the Los Angeles City Hall on April 23, 2026. They called on people to help stop the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 27-year-long persecution of this peaceful mind-body cultivation practice.

Falun Dafa practitioners hold a rally in front of the Los Angeles City Hall on April 23, 2026 to mark the 27th anniversary of April 25 appeal in Beijing. (Screenshot courtesy The Epoch Times)

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises. (Screenshot courtesy The Epoch Times)

Professor Wu Yingnian, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Falun Dafa Association, briefly introduced the background of the April 25 appeal in Beijing. He said that practitioners went to Beijing to request the release of more than 40 practitioners who were arrested in Tianjian, a city 60 miles east of Beijing.

“No one chanted slogans. Practitioners quietly stood or sat, and waited to put forward their request. Their peaceful demeanor that day has been carried forward and continues throughout the 27-year journey as practitioners expose the CCP’s persecution,” he said. Professor Wu pointed out that the CCP claimed that practitioners “besieged” the regime’s headquarters in order to justify the persecution.

Ms. Li from Beijing participated in the April 25 appeal in 1999. She said, “Why did I go there? Because six months after I began practicing Falun Dafa, all my ailments disappeared. I also changed my character after I began following Dafa’s principles in my daily life and work. Falun Dafa is such a good practice. If anyone attacks it, I should speak up and validate Dafa by telling them about my experiences.”

Ms. Li recalled that when she reached the State Council Appeals Office that day, she noticed there were many practitioners lined up along Fuyou Street. They waited until evening and then left quietly after the issue was resolved. “The so-called besieging the regime’s headquarters is a baseless claim,” she said.

Guo Shuren, veteran political commentator in southern California, addressed the rally. (Screenshot courtesy The Epoch Times)

Guo Shuren was impressed when he heard about the April 25 appeal. He said the appeal set an example in Chinese history: “Everyone went there voluntarily, they were not organized. They remained remarkably quiet, orderly, and cooperated perfectly with each other. When they left, not a single scrap of paper remained on the ground; in the context of the environment of China, such a feat is truly rare.”

After he learned about Falun Gong and understood what the practice is all about, Mr. Guo said he supports practitioners and condemns the CCP’s persecution. He stated, “I stand with you firmly. Whether from a moral or a spiritual standpoint, I have always stood on the side of justice.”

“Unimaginable Pain”

Professor Wu said that by January 31, 2026, at least 5,311 practitioners are documented to have died due to the persecution. Countless practitioners have been detained, sentenced to prison, and tortured.

Mr. Mo, a practitioner from China said this persecution has caused his family immense pain. His mother, Ms. He Xianggu, was tortured until she became comatose while she was detained, and she died on November 8, 2023.

Mr. Mo said his mother was detained for 15 days for her belief and for speaking up for Falun Dafa in 1999. She was incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital and was repeatedly injected with drugs that damaged her nervous system. Over the following 20 years, she was detained in a psychiatric hospital and forced labor camps multiple times. She was persecuted to the brink of death several times.

“I saw her restrained in her hospital bed and I later understood she suffered unimaginable pain. Yet, when I met her, she was smiling gently and bringing kindness and gentleness to others,” Mr. Mo said. “The CCP’s brutal persecution has caused countless families unimaginable pain.”

Conscience Cannot Be Extinguished

Several of the guest speakers at the rally said they were moved by practitioners’ peacefulness and quiet persistence over the years.

Liu Yinquan, chairman of the China Social Democratic Party and former professor of history at a university in China, addresses the rally. (Screenshot courtesy The Epoch Times)

“The spread of Falun Dafa benefits all people, which should be respected and commended. Only the CCP, a true evil force, can do such persecution,” Liu Yinquan, Chairman of the China Social Democratic Party, and former professor of history, said. He remarked that if everyone followed the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, the world would be better, without war, violence, killing, and robbing.

Professor Liu has admired the practitioners’ perseverance in their belief for many years and called on people to condemn the CCP’s brutality: “If such cruelty is allowed, it would be a shame for Chinese people and the whole human race.”

Former Chinese Human Rights Lawyer You Feizhu being interviewed in the rally (The Epoch Times)

“The April 25 appeal, and the practice of Falun Gong are all legal and there is nothing [about them that is] against the law,” said lawyer You Feizhu. “Petitioning is a right conferred upon the Chinese people by the Constitution—namely, the freedom of citizens to engage in speech, assembly, procession, and demonstration.”

Mr. You said that the CCP has committed intentional homicide and intentional injury to Falun Gong practitioners over the past 27 years. “History cannot be obscured, nor can conscience be extinguished. Today’s commemoration serves as a testament to the past and a promise to the future,” he stated.

April 25 Appeal Opens a New Chapter in Chinese History

Poet Jiang Pingchao speaks at the rally. (Screenshot courtesy The Epoch Times)

Poet Jiang Pingchao said that the appeal of over ten thousand people in Beijing in 1999 was, “A truly meaningful resurgence in faith that the Chinese people experienced for the first time.”

As Falun Dafa is practiced in over 100 countries by millions of people, Mr. Jiang said, “Faith is the cornerstone of social maturity and stability; it nurtures the human heart, shapes the soul, elevates moral character, and brings harmony and tranquility to a chaotic society.

“Although the CCP continues persecuting Falun Gong, practitioners remain kind and continue raising awareness about this brutality. I express deep admiration to [Falun Dafa’s founder] Master Li and all Falun Gong practitioners.”

Dr. Li Youfu, director of the Southwest Falun Dafa Association, addresses the rally. (Screenshot courtesy The Epoch Times)

Dr. Li Youfu, director of the Southwest Falun Dafa Association, thanked the guests for their support. He said that practitioners have been able to continue raising awareness for the past 27 years by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Dr. Li called on people to safeguard justice, help stop the persecution, and welcome a new future.