On April 25th nine years ago, an event occurred in Beijing that amazed the world. Over ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners, according to the rights bestowed by the Chinese Constitution charter, gathered outside the State Council Appeals Office located near Zhongnanhai, the central government compound. Ms. Chen was there and experienced the entire process. Although nearly nine years have passed, it still remains fresh in her memory.

On April 25th, 2008, it happened to be a sunny day with a clear sky in Bodo, a city in Northern Norway in the Arctic Circle. Local Falun Gong practitioners got together to practise the Falun Gong exercises and display photos depicting Falun Gong's spread around the world and the cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The activities commemorated the incident nine years ago when over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appealed at the Appeal Office of the State Council in Beijing.

On the afternoon of April 30th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners from Rebro, along with some Amnesty International members, set up a display together in the middle of the downtown area of Stortorget, in order to raise awareness about the crimes of persecution of Chinese people by the evil CCP. Amnesty were collecting signatures to appeal for the rescue of Falun Gong practitioner Bu Dong Wei.

On April 26th, 2008, U.K. Falun Gong practitioners held a rally and parade in London to commemorate the peaceful appeal at the State Appeal Office in Beijing on April 25th, 1999, and urged the international community to help put an end to the nine year long persecution against Falun Gong. The activities lasted for five hours and attracted much attention.

The two towns of Heerlen and Hoensbroek in The Netherlands granted Falun Gong practitioners participation in two important events. The activities were to expose the atrocities and crimes by the Chinese Communist Party against Falun Gong practitioners in China and most recently the pre-Olympic mass arrest of practitioners.

Falun Gong practitioners in Italy protested near the Chinese Embassy in Rome to commemorate the April 25th appeal and to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 9 years of human rights abuses against Falun Gong. The practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises and displayed banners.

Czech practitioners protested in front of the Chinese Embassy to call for an end to the persecution of their fellow practitioners in China. The protest was to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the April 25 Appeal and draw attention to escalation of the persecution in China during the run-up to the Olympics.

Representatives of Falun Gong practitioners at the gathering in Finland said they are strongly protesting the CCP's brutal nine-year persecution of Falun Gong, especially the organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners for money. They called for an immediate stop to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Divine Performing Arts presented its last performance in Europe on April 19th, 2008. In all, Divine Performing Arts presented 45 shows in 18 European cities. When Qi Xiaochun, the Erhu instrumentalist, played the last note, the people were so deeply engaged by the music that there was a moment of silence before she was greeted with thunderous applause. Many people lined up to buy tickets before the performance and hoped they would not miss it.

On the night of April 25th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners in France gathered on the Parvis de la Liberté et des droits de l’homme opposite the Eiffel Tower in Paris to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the historic event on April 25th in 1999 when over ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appealed in Beijing.

On the afternoon of April 25th, 2008, Danish Falun Gong practitioners arrived at the Chinese Embassy to mark nine years since the peaceful appeal by over ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing. More than 3000 Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death and the CCP is now using the Olympic Games to increase the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

April 25th 1999 is an unforgettable and significant date for Falun Gong practitioners. Nine years ago, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners went to Zhongnanhai to conduct a peaceful appeal to ask the government to release a group of illegally arrested Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin city. From that day on, practitioners began peacefully protesting to obtain justice for their belief.

On the ninth anniversary of April 25th, 1999, Falun Gong practitioners from Ireland held a candlelight vigil and petition outside the Chinese Embassy to commemorate April 25th. Practitioners unfurled two large Chinese and English banners reading 'The World Needs Zhen Shan Ren (Truth Compassion Tolerance)' and 'Stop persecuting Falun Gong'. They protested against the brutality of the CCP peacefully and with reason, asking for the CCP to immediately stop persecuting Falun Gong and for them to release all the Falun Gong practitioners who have been illegally imprisoned.

On the evening of April 25th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners in Switzerland held candlelight vigils at the Chinese Embassy in Bern and the Chinese Consulate in Zurich, commemorating the peaceful appeal in Beijing by over ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners nine years ago and protesting against the Chinese Communist regime’s intensified persecution of Falun Gong before. the Olympic Games

Li Zhihe participated in the Peaceful Appeal in Beijing on April 25th, 1999. He said that the CCP framed the peaceful appeal by 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners as an attack on the government to deceive the Chinese people and find an excuse to further crack down on Falun Gong.

On the ninth anniversary of the “April 25th Appeal”, Falun Gong practitioners from Spain gathered at the Chinese Embassy to hold a commemorative activity. On April 25th, 1999, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners spontaneously went to the State Appeal Office to conduct a peaceful appeal and ask for the release of 45 practitioners who had been illegally arrested in Tianjin city

On April 25th, Belgian Falun Gong practitioners organised activities at the Chinese Embassy to commemorate the day nine years ago when more than 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully petitioned the Chinese government (CCP) in Beijing. They also protested against the CCP increasing arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in the name of the Olympic Games.

On the evening of April 25th, 2008, Austrian Falun Gong practitioners staged a peaceful appeal at the Chinese Consulate in Vienna to commemorate the day when over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appealed at the central government compound, Zhongnanhai, in Beijing. Austrian National Television Station and some other media also covered this activity.

Nine years ago in Mainland China, facing unfair treatment, tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners arrived at the central government compound in Beijing to hold a peaceful appeal and ask the related government departments for fair treatment. After that, a full scale persecution of Falun Gong was launched by the CCP, which has now lasted for nine years.

Ms. Pfoehler said that the show "brought the land of China in a more positive manner to the West." Up until now, she saw China as a military type environment, which was highly disciplined. This show brought another side of China to her attention -- the artistic side, somehow playful with a completely different trait. "This was such a strong contrast to what I ever imagined," said Pfoehler.

Saturday 26th April was beautifully sunny. UK Falun Gong practitioners held a parade through central London to commemorate April 25th. During the parade, some practitioners handed out leaflets to passers-by that told them what Falun Gong is and why the Chinese Communist Party is persecuting such a peaceful and beneficial practice.

Teacher Claudia Kolitz and her mother Berta Bürger watched the matinee of the Divine Performing Arts show on April 19th. They both frequently attend the theatre and came to the Prinzregenten Theatre in Munich on Saturday, where the troupe from New York staged the last performance of their European Tour. They had learned about the show through a newspaper article.

On Friday 25th April, UK Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil opposite the Chinese Embassy in London. The vigil was to protest against the 9 years of persecution Falun Gong practitioners have suffered at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). UK Falun Gong practitioners have now been protesting at the Chinese Embassy since September 2000.

In order to raise awareness about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s persecution of Falun Gong, practitioners in Paris have been exposing the CCP’s brutal treatment of its adherents, in particular the CCP's appalling atrocities of organ harvesting from living victims. The event drew large numbers of people, many of whom signed petitions after reading the information boards.

Gabriele Herzig joyfully said, “I liked everything, including the music. I really liked the Mongolian dances with the tea cups (“Mongolian Bowl Dance”). It was very impressive, feasts for the eyes, the others were beautiful too, but this one did it for me because of the beautiful exit.” Her husband spontaneously added: “Yes, I was watching it. They are walking on the heels of their feet. It makes it so beautiful. It looks like they are floating on stage; it is fantastic, quite wonderful".

Hundreds of people showed thier support for a new campaign initiated by the NGO 'Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG). The goal of the campaign is to gather one million signatures all over the world. These signatures will be handed to the International Olympic Committee. The Chinese government will be urged to stop immediately the killings of innocent Falun Gong practitioners in China.