Falun Dafa Day officially May 13, flag raised at town hall

compassion and tolerance.

“It’s much bigger than my life,” she said.

Jin praised Mayor Michael Prue, whom she said she has known for 24 years, for always standing “shoulder to shoulder” with those championing the cause. She called him one of the first politicians she was aware of that backed the cause of Falun Dafa Day.

Prue thanked those who turned out for the brief ceremony and agreed it was over 20 years ago since he became aware of Falun Dafa and the persecution that was occurring in China.

“Quite frankly, the world needs to know this,” said Prue.

The mayor outlined the courage it took the delegation from the Falun Dafa Association to continue its cause. He added he has known Jin and worked with the organization when he was previously the mayor of East York and later a councillor in the mega-city of Toronto.

“I’m very proud to continue the tradition in Amherstburg,” said Prue.

Prue also told the Falun Dafa Organization representatives “be brave and you will win.”

By Ron Giofu

Amherstburg town council has officially declared May 13 as Falun Dafa Day but a flag symbolizing the awareness event was raised last week.

A Falun Dafa flag was run up a flagpole at town hall last Friday morning with representatives of the Falun Dafa Association coming to Amherstburg and joining members of town council for the ceremony.

Carolyn Jin, a representative of the Falun Dafa Association, said she started practicing Falun Gong in 1996. She explained it is “five gentle exercises” that helped make a difference in her life.

According to Jin, the Chinese communist government felt Falun Dafa was a threat and has attempted to put a stop to it, leaving people like Jin to either give it up or fight to keep it going. She said they are being persecuted for truth,

Jin added “we are a beacon in the darkness” and “together we can win this battle.”

According to literature distributed by the Falun Dafa Association representatives: “Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a meditation practice that brings about serenity and a higher level of awareness while also greatly benefiting your physical well-being. Falun

Dafa consists of four gentle exercises and a sitting meditation that help improve mental and physical wellbeing. In addition to these exercises, Falun Dafa emphasizes self-improvement through following the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Through this process one elevates one’s ‘heart-mind’ nature, known in Chinese as xinxing.”

The association’s material also stated: “Since the persecution started in 1999 Falun Dafa practitioners have been illegally abducted, sent to forced labor camps, and even tortured to death. Several reports by human rights organizations and the U.S State Department indicate that Falun Gong practitioners constitute the largest group of prisoners of conscience in China, and often receive the worst treatment in custody. Mass state-run hate-propaganda campaigns against Falun Dafa have dehumanized its practitioners, where only several years before the practice was promoted and heralded by the Chinese government as an exemplary practice of true, traditional Chinese virtues.

This campaign has led to prisons and hospitals forcibly extracting organs from healthy yet incarcerated Falun Dafa practitioners for sale and profit to fuel a booming organ transplant business in China. A 2017 Freedom House report said it had found “credible evidence suggesting that beginning in the early 2000s, Falun Gong detainees were killed for their organs on a large scale.” that story with your loved ones is a great way to give them a glimpse into what is important to you, your journey and why it matters. The people, places and things you have done create a legacy that can bring joy to generations to come.

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