(Minghui.org) About 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners in New York held a grand march in Manhattan’s Chinatown on July 19, 2026, to tell people about the 27-year long suppression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Falun Gong, a meditation system based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, has been systematically persecuted by the CCP since July 20, 1999.

Led by the Tian Guo March Band, practitioners carried numerous banners and flags containing information about Falun Gong and the CCP’s ongoing brutality.

The theme of the first section was “Falun Dafa is Good,” and in addition to banners, included large models of Falun Gong’s main book, Zhuan Falun, in Chinese and English, along with a large Falun emblem.

The theme of the second section was “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong.” Some of the banner messages read: “27th Anniversary of Falun Gong’s Resistance to Persecution,” “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong Immediately,” “Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted in China,” “Stop the CCP’s Live Organ Harvesting From Falun Gong Practitioners,” and “Stop the CCP’s Transnational Suppression of Falun Gong.”

Approximately 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners participated in the march on July 19, 2026, in Manhattan. (Minghui.org)

Civil Aviation Administration Manager: Ending the Persecution Does not Just Help China

Susan Classen, a project manager at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), watched the parade with her daughter. She recorded the event on her phone while she read the messages on the banners. “The entire parade was a sight to behold,” she said. “I read the banners, and it’s heartbreaking to see such a wonderful group being persecuted so badly.”

                        
                         Susan Classen (right) watched the parade with her daughter. (Minghui.org)

When she read the banners that read “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” she said, “This is exactly what the world needs. Humanity and compassion are essential for each of us, and people should be inherently full of love, and care for one another.”

Classen was also impressed because she said practitioners responded to the suppression in a very calm, dignified, and positive way. “It is truly admirable that they are so peaceful while being persecuted. They are striving to tell the world the facts in a positive way,” she explained.

This is why she believes Falun Gong practitioners’ efforts to stop the persecution are not just helping China, “They are on the front lines trying to help people all over the world,” she said. “The whole world should know what is happening in China, and we need to unite and continue to help people learn the facts.”

Texas Teacher: Incredible That Such Horrific Things Are Covered Up

Dan Seelig, a high school teacher from Texas, said he felt deeply moved by the march because his family fled Germany during the Holocaust. “When I learned what was happening in China, it was really heartbreaking,” he said. “No one should be persecuted, especially a peaceful group like this. It’s truly horrific.”

Dan Seelig (Minghui.org)

Seelig said that people in the United States and around the world should pay attention to this persecution in China. “Because suffering anywhere is relevant to the whole world. Whenever genocide occurs, people must take action to stop it,” he said. “This should be a common goal for everyone in the world, including Americans, even if it happens on the other side of the earth.”

He said many people were unaware of the persecution, due to the CCP’s control over the media. “What I find incredible is that such horrific things can actually be covered up. So, I’m very happy that practitioners can march here. So many people conveying the same message is very powerful,” Seelig continued, and added that he hopes more governments in different countries join in to help stop the persecution.

South Carolina Designer: Sharing the Information

Valerie Lane, an interior designer from South Carolina, said she happened to be visiting New York. She was drawn to the parade and was deeply moved by the peaceful energy of the entire procession. Shocked by the information, she said, “It’s appalling that a group of very kind people are being persecuted, tortured, and even killed. This should never have happened, and it certainly shouldn’t be happening today.”

Valerie Lane (Minghui.org)

Lane said she would definitely do what she could to help end the persecution. “I took a lot of photos, and I will put them online and share them on social media,” she explained. “Although I’m just one person, the march really made me stop; I believe it will also attract others to pay attention.”

Accountant Couple Hopes the Tragedy Ends Soon

Rick Montalbano and his wife Gina, two certified public accountants, stopped to watch the parade, and said it was very large and impressive.

Rick Montalbano and his wife Gina (Minghui.org)

Gina said that the totalitarian CCP does not want to see people gathering. But the persecution should not have happened, and Falun Gong practitioners should be able to practice freely. “I hope this persecution ends soon. More people need to stand up and speak out, not just in China, but all over the world,” she continued. In addition to telling her family and friends about today’s march, she plans to also do her best to support practitioners.

From Hostility to Practicing Falun Gong

Mr. Li, a Falun Gong practitioner, earned a PhD in biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences before he moved to the US. In 2016, he attended a July 20th march held by Falun Gong practitioners in Chicago, and he began practicing. He said he learned the truth about Falun Gong when he took a guitar lesson in Beijing in 2012.

Because he'd believed the CCP’s defamatory propaganda, Mr. Li had always resisted and hated Falun Gong. “My guitar teacher was a Falun Gong practitioner. He told me the truth about the staged Tiananmen self-immolation hoax, such as why the gasoline bottle didn’t burn and why the man’s hair didn’t catch fire even though his clothes did. That completely overturned my understanding,” he recalled.

Mr. Li began using Internet firewall circumvention software such as Freegate to access uncensored information, including books such as the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. He also learned about the CCP's long-term brutal suppression of Falun Gong, as well as the torture practitioners are subjected to and the organ harvesting. “The more I learned, the more I felt that the crimes committed by the CCP were unacceptable and too numerous to list,” he said.

After learning more, Mr. Li decided to completely break with the CCP in 2016, and he withdrew from all CCP-related organizations he had previously joined, using his real name. He said, “I feel that the CCP has done too many bad things, and I used to have some illusions about the regime. Later, after gaining a deeper understanding of the truth, I felt that it was imperative to break with the CCP.”

Mr. Li’s initial motive for practicing Falun Gong was to improve his cultivation and better control his emotions. “After I began practicing, I improved a lot in this area, and I really feel that I can handle many things calmly,” he explained. His health also improved.

“I used to sit for long periods of time doing scientific research, and I had some back problems. After practicing for a few months, my back pain disappeared, which was amazing,” Mr. Li continued. “Furthermore, I also feel that my thinking has become more open in scientific research. I don’t feel as much pressure when I encounter setbacks anymore. I can see things more clearly, and I handle them.”

Swedish Falun Gong Practitioner Hopes More People Learn About Falun Gong

Jens Almroth, a Falun Gong practitioner from Sweden (Minghui.org)

Originally from Sweden, Jens Almroth has worked as a design director in New York for many years. He said he participates in the July 20th march almost every year.

“I want to commemorate the Falun Gong practitioners who suffered long-term persecution in China. So many years have passed, and many people still don’t know about this persecution,” he explained. “The media hasn’t really told the public how serious things are in China. So every time there’s a parade like today to expose the persecution and show everyone the beauty of Falun Gong, as well as the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, I want to participate. I also hope that more people will learn the facts.”

Almroth began practicing Falun Gong in 2001, but several years passed before he realized how brutal the persecution in China was. “I heard about the forced organ harvesting and learned that doctors and nurses were involved; there were witness testimonies. It was the most horrific thing I ever heard in my life,” he recalled. “I truly realized how cruel this persecution is. People who simply follow Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are being tortured, murdered, and even have their organs harvested while they are still alive. And it’s still happening now. It’s truly unbelievable.”

Almroth recounted how he began practicing. “I was searching for some kind of answer to life, and I read many books on spiritual growth, believing that there must be a deeper meaning to life,” he said. “Until one day I read Zhuan Falun in the library. Shortly after I started reading, I knew that I finally found what I had been searching for all my life.”

Practicing Falun Gong also made Almroth much calmer. Before that he was always anxious, and felt lonely. “After I started practicing and reading Falun Gong’s teachings, I no longer felt lonely, and my anxiety also disappeared,” he said.