United Kingdom: Practitioners Take Part in the Annual New Years Day Parade in London

In what has now become an annual tradition, Falun Gong practitioners participated in London's 22nd New Year's Day Parade. This year, the parade organisers had predicted crowds of 500,000 and more than 10,000 participants from twenty countries.

As Big Ben struck midday the parade began, taking a 2 mile route passing many of London's great historical sights, from Parliament Square in Westminster, along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square and on to Pall Mall, through Piccadilly Circus and on to Piccadilly.

Live television coverage of the parade was broadcast around the world, and was expected to be seen by even more people than the previous year, when the parade reached a TV audience of more than 200 million.

Falun Gong practitioners brought a marching band, a float with demonstrations of the Falun Gong exercises, fan dancers and a float promoting the Shen Yun show, which featured an Emperor, Empress and concubine.

Thousands of leaflets about Falun Gong and handmade paper lotus flowers were handed out to the crowds along the route as practitioners and members of the audience wished each other a happy New Year.

The Parade announcers along the route commented on the colourfulness and beauty of the Falun Gong entry and graciously thanked Falun Gong for their participation in each years parade.