World Falun Dafa Day Highlights Hope, Strength in Face of Persecution

A banner reading “Falun Dafa Is Good” flies over the Hudson River in New York, on May 13, 2024. Larry Dye/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—In communist China, simply uttering the words “Falun Dafa is good” can land you in jail for years and result in torture or death.

On Monday, however, a bold statement was made in New York City when an airplane towing a banner with the words in English and Chinese flew over the Hudson River for hours, buzzing in full view of the Chinese consulate.

It’s a declaration of defiance—and hope, for people to learn the truth about the faith group and its principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. An estimated 70 million to 100 million people in China practiced it before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting the group in 1999, blanketing airwaves with hate propaganda and demonizing universal principles in its effort to stamp out Falun Gong.

A woman who holds up a Falun Gong banner is detained by police at Beijing's Tiananmen Gate in China, on Jan. 25, 2001. AP Photo/Greg Baker

“Everything is in these five words,” Matthew Lee, an organizer of the event, told The Epoch Times, referring to the five Chinese characters making up the phrase.

“It’s simple and clear. The persecution that Falun Gong practitioners suffer—hasn’t it all been for these words?”

Mr. Lee is one of the tens of millions who took up the practice in China in the 1990s. He was ultimately imprisoned for two years in a Beijing labor camp for his beliefs.

“The CCP is terrified of these words. In China, uttering them can send you to prison,” he said.

‘Peaceful Advocacy’

The banner flew over the Hudson on May 13 to mark World Falun Dafa Day, which was celebrated by parades and festivities in Manhattan and elsewhere over the past week.

Dozens of officials in the United States and globally have issued proclamations and letters to recognize the day.

Members of Congress, as well as governors, mayors, and leaders of various localities, credited the practice for uplifting their communities and spreading positivity.

The “resilience and dedication” from Falun Gong practitioners who fled the persecution in China have “enriched our community, promoting a culture of kindness and tolerance,” states a certification of special congressional recognition from Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) dated May 13.

To the Falun Gong diaspora based in Orange County, New York, Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) wished “a very special celebration on Falun Dafa Day, 25 years honoring the important principles and values of your faith and all that the community stands for.”

“Especially in the moment that we’re in, under the threat of oppression and freedom of religion under threat from the Chinese Communist Party, it’s even more important to stand to honor the importance of religious freedom,” he said in a video, adding that he will “always stand with you and the community to make sure that you can freely practice your faith.”

U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom Rashad Hussain issued a statement, saying he supports “millions of Falun Gong practitioners globally who are celebrating their spiritual discipline and reiterate their right to freedom of religion or belief.”

Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain delivers remarks on the roll-out of the International Religious Freedom Report at the State Department in Washington on May 15, 2023. Jonathan Ernst/AFP via Getty Images

Canada’s Conservative Party deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, in a May 8 event celebrating the occasion, praised the tenets of Falun Gong as forces for good.

People “need to see the compassion, the tolerance, the love that is shared by Falun Gong every single day in every single way everywhere,” she said.

In the face of the “bullies” from communist China, she said, compassion will “win over the day.”

Andrew Charlton, an Australian parliamentary member, echoed her. He said he sees World Falun Dafa Day as a time to reflect on the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance,” and the “principle of peaceful advocacy.”

Eight current and former Swedish parliamentary lawmakers signed a letter observing World Falun Dafa Day while encouraging the faith group to keep raising awareness about the Chinese regime’s persecution.

“Your continuous and peaceful work is important to everyone in the world, not the least to save lives in China,” they wrote.

Falun Gong adherents demonstrate a meditative exercise during Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on May 8, 2024. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times

Practiced Around the World

While Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is persecuted in China, it is practiced freely in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Falun Gong meditation workshops have gained popularity online and in person, with an estimated 10,000 people to date attending through LearnFalunGong.com, a network of volunteers who offer two-hour live webinars in more than 30 languages, always for free.

Riana Darrow, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mom, came across the practice on Facebook and decided to give it a try.

“The more you do it, you feel more grounded,” she told The Epoch Times, adding that doing the exercises can “really improve the quality of life.”

Retired New York City transit maintenance supervisor Philip Pipitone said he felt “a level of energy” in both hands and arms while sitting through a nine-day Falun Gong seminar at the Fa Yuan Bookstore in Middletown.

“I sat very still and did not get up or do anything. Whatever anybody else was doing was of no concern to me,” he told The Epoch Times.

Rita Calviello at the Fa Yuan Bookstore, in Middletown, N.Y., on May 12, 2024. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Rita Calviello, a systems engineer at a New York bank, became curious about the practice about three years ago after watching a YouTube video about the Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Gong.

“Why was China killing people for reading this book?” she recalled wondering, referring to “Zhuan Falun,” the main book of Falun Gong.

She decided to read the book.

“I just immediately felt like my entire life I had been waiting to read it,” she told The Epoch Times. In it, she said, she found the answer to a key question she had always been asking: why she was here.