Washington DC: Candlelight Vigil at Lincoln Memorial Protests Chinese Communist Regime's Brutality

(Minghui.org) Around 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners held a rally and march in Washington DC on July 23 to oppose the 27-year long persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which began in July 1999. A candlelight vigil was held that evening in front the Lincoln Memorial.

According to the National Park Service, the Lincoln Memorial was built in 1914 and was modeled after a Greek temple because the designer felt “a memorial to a man who defended democracy during the American Civil War should be based on a structure found in the birthplace of democracy.” Fifty years later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his well-known “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps in front of Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

Sixty years after Dr. King’s historic speech, Falun Gong practitioners gathered there to urge the CCP to end the persecution of Falun Gong—the largest human rights abuse in modern society that has affected about 100 million people. The CCP remains the largest totalitarian regime in the world.

The vigil’s host explained to tourists why the vigil was held: “As the day’s clamor fades with the setting sun and heaven and earth merge into the vast firmament, we gather once again in the U.S. capital, holding flickering candlelight to mourn the Falun Gong practitioners who have been persecuted to death by the CCP over the past 27 years for steadfastly upholding their faith in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

About 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil at the Lincoln Memorial to mourn for the practitioners who lost their lives in the CCP’s suppression. (Minghui.org)

A candlelight vigil was held on the evening of July 23. (Minghui.org)

“I Really Cannot Understand Why Some Regimes Are Still Doing This”

Daniel GS said he’s been to China and knew about the persecution of Falun Gong. He is also aware of the CCP’s other brutalities including the Cultural Revolution.

He praised the candlelight vigil and said, “The event is very good and I think everyone should have freedom of belief. It’s good that they [Falun Gong practitioners] continue protesting.”

Daniel said the situation in China has gotten worse because the surveillance technology is becoming more advanced. “The CCP leaders are becoming even more paranoid [in controlling people],” he continued. “Here practitioners have the freedom to protest and they don’t have to worry about retaliation.”

Colleen Thiel was touring Washington DC when she saw the candlelight vigil and said the Lincoln Memorial was a great location for such an event. “Lincoln was a man who opposed oppression and supported the fight for freedom. I also hope that all cultures and ethnic groups can experience this kind of freedom. I will definitely tell my friends and family about it when I get back.”

She continued, “I think it’s remarkable for practitioners to hold the candlelight here since more people need to know about this,” she explained. “It’s a tragedy when a religion is oppressed. I think raising public awareness is a wonderful thing, and it’s the best thing everyone can do.”

Colleen Thiel (Minghui.org)

Regarding the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, Colleen said, “What confuses and baffles me the most is that the core of these religious beliefs is clearly love, compassion, and kindness... No matter what religion it is, to torture and imprison people whose core belief is kindness is completely incomprehensible to me. I really cannot understand why some regimes are still doing this, and I feel very sad.”

Continue Speaking Out Until the Persecution Ends

Jack Tie from North Carolina said he still remembers when the persecution of Falun Gong started. He explained why he attended the candlelight vigil in Washington, DC. “I remember there were reports that Falun Gong practitioner Chen Zixiu from Weifang, Shandong, had been persecuted to death. I was very shocked,” he recalled. “Later, news of Falun Gong practitioners’ deaths caused by the persecution kept coming out of China. I thought that since I’m overseas I must speak out for Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted in China until this persecution ends.”

Having practiced Falun Gong for about 30 years, Tie explains that Falun Gong enables people to improve moral character by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He said, “The CCP’s suppression and persecution of Falun Gong is wrong. I feel it is my responsibility to stand up and speak out for Falun Gong, so that more people who live in free societies can understand the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong,” Tie continued. “At the same time, I also hope that such large-scale peaceful anti-persecution activities can be conveyed to mainland China through various channels, so that those who have been misled by the CCP’s lies and propaganda for a long time will have the opportunity to learn the facts.”

The fact that such a large-scale peaceful protest against persecution can continue to be held in Washington, D.C., demonstrates American society’s respect for freedom of speech, freedom of belief, and human rights, Tie added. “It also gives more people from different countries and cultural backgrounds the opportunity to learn about Falun Gong and the persecution that is still happening in China. I hope that everyone who comes here can recognize the truth through their own observation and reflection, and work together to pay attention to and stop this human rights persecution that continues to this day,” he said.

Marina Vassong, from Philadelphia, immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago; three years later she began practicing Falun Gong. “Participating in the candlelight vigil, the feelings in my heart are indescribable. It is a deep sorrow for those fellow practitioners who have passed away in the suppression,” she said.

Marina Vassong attends the events in Washington, DC, every year (Minghui.org)

During the Holocaust in World War II, Vassong’s great-grandparents and many relatives were brutally murdered. “In that shameful period of human history, many people could have reached out to help the Jews, but they chose to stand idly by, ultimately leading to the murder of six million Jews,” she said. “At that time, people made the historical vow of ‘Never Again.’ However, today in China, the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners continues, causing similar tragedies to repeat themselves, and the situation is even more horrifying.”

For Vassong, participating in this candlelight vigil every year is a very important and solemn moment. “In addition to expressing our condolences to those fellow practitioners who have lost their lives in this persecution, it is also a crucial opportunity for us to reveal the truth to people—a serious crime against humanity is taking place in China. This is a contest between good and evil, and good will ultimately prevail over evil,” she said.

Young Practitioner: Cultivation Has Made Me Mature Enough to Speak Out for My Faith

Patrick Feng, a young practitioner, previously only accompanied his family to events in Washington, DC. This year marked the first time he chose to participate.

“After practicing Falun Gong, I have become more mature, and my behavior has changed. I no longer dwell too much on what I’ve lost. Instead I focus more on what I have and I’m grateful. Practicing Falun Gong is a form of healing for me, both physically and mentally,” he said. “It has taught me how to find inner peace and helped me overcome many difficulties that would otherwise have led to depression, deteriorating mental health, or self-doubt. Many young people today struggle to find meaning in life and complain about unfairness. Falun Gong provides me with the most rational and reassuring way to resolve these confusions.”

Patrick Feng (Minghui.org)

Over the years, as Feng matures in his cultivation practice, he has not only understood how profound Falun Gong is, but also why it is so important to understand this persecution. “Because the deeper my understanding, the more I realize that this is an attack on my faith and an attack on my identity,” he said. “It has always shocked me to learn that people who live the same lives and have the same beliefs as me face the risk of torture, imprisonment, broken families, or hardship simply because they adhere to the same principles.

“So what prompted me to come back again this year is that I wanted to seize the opportunity to stand with the practitioners here today in Washington, DC, one of the most important cities in the United States, to speak out to the whole country and the world and call for attention to this persecution that has lasted for 27 years. I felt that this was something I had to do, and the persecution has gone on too long,” Feng explained.

He was glad to see so many Falun Gong practitioners here, as well as members of US Congress and passersby standing up to support and spread the facts. “Even though I’m just an ordinary person, I feel that everyone here is important. If I have anything to say to practitioners in mainland China, it is: ‘Persevere, do not give up. Falun Gong practitioners all over the world are with you.’ I believe this persecution will end soon,” he added.