(Minghui.org) On July 27, 2024, the city of Łódź in Poland celebrated its 601st anniversary. Falun Dafa practitioners from the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland formed a spectacular parade to participate in the celebration. It was warmly welcomed by people along the street. Images of the parade were featured by several local media outlets.

The city of Łódź is the third most populous city in central Poland and the provincial capital. It has a history of more than 600 years. In modern times, Łódź was once the textile manufacturing center of Poland and Europe, and is now the center of Poland’s film industry and fine arts. It was awarded the title of “City of Film” by UNESCO, and is also known as the “Hollywood of Poland.”

Just after noon, the parade started at Piotrkowska, one of the longest shopping streets in the world, and traveled through the city and past the octagonal square of Plac Wolności.

The parade began with a banner reading “Falun Dafa Is Good,” followed by a Fa boat, a waist drum team, a dragon dance team, a Falun Gong exercise demonstration team, a lotus fairy team and a lion dance team. The practitioners conveyed messages like: Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, return to tradition, support 400 million withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and stop persecuting Falun Gong.

On July 27, 2024, Falun Dafa practitioners from the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland formed a spectacular parade

The parade passed through a crowd of spectators

People read Falun Gong leaflets

At the end of the parade, practitioners demonstrated the exercises

A family learns the Falun Gong exercises

After more than two hours of marching, the parade arrived in front of the Manufaktura building, a modern center that combines art, trade and entertainment.

Practitioners set up display boards, booths and gave Falun Dafa educational materials to people. In front of the booth, people signed a petition to support practitioners in calling for an end to the persecution in China. Many people looked on as practitioners showed people how to do the exercises; some children said that they felt strong energy.

Practitioners talk to people about the persecution and collect signatures opposing it

“This parade is really beautiful! Energetic, colorful and positive,” Anna Kaszuba, who lives in Łódź, told her friend Magdalena Podgórski from Warsaw. “I feel refreshed and want to know more.”

Magdalena watched the parade with great interest and said, “I don’t know much about Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), and I still need to understand it, but the words ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance’ written on that boat are very important today. If we can all live according to these principles, our society, communities and neighborhoods will be better and better, and there will be less trouble.”

Anna Kaszuba and Magdalena Podgórski, “We should all work to uphold democracy and help those who are persecuted.”