Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners will participate in a parade in New York City on May 10 to celebrate World Dafa Day. NTD and EpochTV will livestream the parade from 11 a.m. ET.
May 13 this year marks the 32nd anniversary of Falun Dafa being introduced to the public in 1992, and it is also the 73rd birthday of Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the spiritual practice.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional self-improvement discipline that includes meditation exercises and is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The practice quickly gained widespread appeal for its moral teachings and health benefits, spreading to over 110 countries around the world.
Fearing that its popularity would jeopardize the Chinese regime’s authoritarian rule, in July 1999, then-regime leader Jiang Zemin launched a nationwide persecution campaign. Millions of practitioners have suffered from arrests, imprisonment, torture, and even become victims of forced organ harvesting. As a result, countless practitioners were forced to leave their homes, jobs, or schools.
This year, the World Falun Dafa Day parade in New York aims to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the practice being introduced to the public and bring to light the suppression of human rights under the Chinese regime.