Belgium: Introducing Falun Dafa During an Event in Antwerpen

Practitioners held an information day event in Antwerpen on September 30, 2023, to tell people about Falun Dafa and how it is persecuted in China. Many passersby watched the exercise demonstration and wished to know more. One passerby named Len said, “We should pass on the message of kindness. The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are great!”

The second-largest metropolitan region in Belgium, Antwerpen is well known for its economics and culture. With a long history of over 1,000 years, it is also the second-largest harbor in Europe.

Admiration for Traditional Values

Olga Struyf, who works at a government agency, watched the practitioners’ exercise demonstration for a long time. She said that this was the first time she’d heard about Falun Dafa. She liked it very much and commented on the positive energy and environment.

Ms. Struyf said that our society needs the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Many people are busy making money, but Falun Dafa’s traditional values are important, and something people need now. She said that Falun Dafa’s teachings and principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are the truth, and she hopes people realize this.

Ms. Struyf said she had read about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa. She felt the situation was sad and what the CCP did was wrong. A normal human being would not do something so terrible. She was especially pained when she was told about the CCP’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from living Falun Dafa practitioners.

People Praise Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Len and his mother Lieve talked to practitioners for more than an hour. Len said that society has become increasingly degenerate and he wondered how practitioners handle deception and humiliation. More specifically, how they applied the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives.

One practitioner said Falun Dafa’s teachings taught him that illnesses and tribulations were from karma. To walk out of such a situation, one should do well and not fight with others for reputation or personal gain. Only then will the environment improve.

Len agreed and said having negative thoughts does not help anything. Instead, one should have faith in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and gain strength from it. He and his mother were interested in Falun Dafa.

Lieve agreed with her son and said many people are just focused on making money. She is thankful that Falun Dafa’s teachings can be downloaded for free on the FalunDafa.org website. “My place is very close to a group practice site and we will give it a try,” she said.

The mother and son were also shocked by the CCP’s brutality, especially the forced organ harvesting. Len said the CCP is vicious. They both said they hoped the persecution would end soon and they would also do some research on the Internet.

College Students: Pass on the Information

Sophia and Elena, two college students, said they were amazed that practitioners could remain undisturbed while meditating in such a noisy place. How could they hold both arms up for such a long time when they did the second exercise? Through chatting with a practitioner, they learned what Falun Dafa is and they both said Falun Dafa’s teachings are precious. They said the persecution by the CCP is horrible and the regime should not mistreat peaceful practitioners like this. They thanked practitioners for the information and said otherwise, they would not know about Falun Dafa.

The two students also said they support practitioners’ activities and would share what they learned on social media, including the group practice pictures. This would help more people to know what is going on in China.

Feedback from Chinese Tourists

Two Chinese tourists in their 20s, a man and a woman, also stopped at the booth. They were surprised to see so many Westerners practicing Falun Dafa. The man said he overcame the CCP’s Internet blockade and learned about the CCP’s brutality. He also quit the CCP’s organizations. He explained that because he was so young, there were many things he did not know. He asked a practitioner how the CCP rolled out the staged self-immolation incident on Tiananmen Square to defame Falun Dafa and how the CCP harvested organs from practitioners.

The practitioner explained many things. For example, many detained practitioners were forced to have blood tests taken and a large number of practitioners were reported missing or dead. There were also third-party reports and resolutions from various government agencies that condemned the CCP’s wicked deeds. The two tourists accepted the materials, thanked the practitioners, and said that they would read more about it.