(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners held two rallies and a march in Wellington, New Zealand, on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, to protest the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 26-year-long persecution. They also called on the international community to help stop the CCP’s human rights abuses.
The march started near noon and was led by Tian Guo Marching Band. The band’s music drew passersby to stop and watch. Practitioners held banners calling for an end to the CCP’s persecution and forced organ harvesting.
Practitioners dressed in white held portraits of fellow practitioners who have died during the CCP’s persecution in China. As the group walked slowly by, people watching the march were touched. Many signed the petition calling to stop the CCP’s human rights atrocities.
March in Wellington on July 22 protests the CCP’s persecution.
Reenactment of the CCP’s forced organ harvesting
People sign a petition calling to end the persecution.
The march started on Cuba Street in the city center, crossed the busy commercial district, and ended at the New Zealand Parliament for a rally. Practitioners then marched to Midland Park for another rally, where practitioners described their personal experiences of being persecuted in China so that more people could hear what the CCP has been doing to Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Rally in front of the New Zealand Parliament building
Rally in Midland Park
The CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting Is Ongoing
Margo MacVicar
Margo MacVicar, New Zealand representative on the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse In China, called on the government to take action to help stop the CCP’s forced organ harvesting.
She pointed out that the allegations of forced organ harvesting are known by the international community, but it is a misconception that the persecution has eased. In fact, China has been expanding its organ transplant facilities.
“The Xinjiang Health Commission has revealed plans to dramatically expand the region’s organ transplant infrastructure. By 2030, six new transplant hospitals are to be established in Xinjiang, tripling the number of transplant centers from three to nine. These new facilities will provide a range of transplants, including heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, and small intestine.
“This expansion is happening in a region already known for mass incarceration, forced biometric data collection, and egregious human rights violations. Since 2006, Falun Dafa practitioners have been the main victims of China’s state-led organ harvesting operations. Today, Uyghurs—already facing widespread repression—have also become a key target group.”
She called on the New Zealand Government to follow the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to pass legislation to sanction perpetrators and terminate medical cooperation.
She ended with a message to New Zealand government officials: “Follow the lead of other nations and condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal practice of forced organ harvesting. Ensure that New Zealand is not complicit in this crime against humanity. Let us be a voice for the voiceless and a light in the darkness.”
People Condemn the CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting
Jonathan, a local resident, was appalled to hear about the CCP’s forced organ harvesting. “This is a genocide,” he said.
He said that information had been covered up, and such atrocities can persist for so long because the CCP controls the media, army, and hospitals, making it hard for the outside world to get information.
He said that the whole country should know about this. He wished New Zealand would pass legislation to protect Falun Gong practitioners and other groups being persecuted.
Jonathan said that defending human rights is not only about helping victims, but also about protecting all of human society from the threat of totalitarianism. “You are here to protect all of us. This is vital,” he said.
Finley Smith participates in the march.
Finley Smith came all the way from Auckland to Wellington to participate in the march. He expressed his sincere respect and support for Falun Gong practitioners.
“I admire your courage to stick to your belief for 26 years,” Smith said. “Your persistence moved me. Wherever you go, I will go there, too.”
He pointed out that the CCP has persecuted Falun Gong for 26 years, including by detaining practitioners, torturing them, and even subjecting them to forced organ harvesting for profit. “This is a cold-blooded business, and organs are sold all over the world,” he said. He said that people in many countries have been kept in the dark and inadvertently become complicit in these crimes.
Adam, a young New Zealander who works in a government department, said that this was the first time he’d heard about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.
“Western media do not report on the human rights persecution happening in China. Hearing about these situations today made me sad, and it also prompted me to learn more,” he said.
Adam expressed his approval of the US House of Representatives passing the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act (now pending in the Senate) to protect the human rights of Falun Gong practitioners and called on the New Zealand Government to take similar legislative action. “We should protect human rights,” he said. “Human rights cannot be ignored.”
Linda and her daughters admire practitioners’ courage in protesting the persecution.
Linda, a tourist from Taiwan, was visiting the New Zealand Parliament building with her two daughters. After listening to practitioners’ speeches, she said that this was the first time she had heard about the CCP’s forced organ harvesting. “But I am not surprised. I believe this happens because the CCP has no democracy, does not give people freedom, and uses propaganda to glamorize itself.
“Falun Gong practitioners are very brave and righteous,” she said. “In such a situation, they still stand up and speak out, unite, and speak up for the lives lost or those who are suffering. This is protecting life. This is very important for China and the whole world. I am moved.”
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Category: July 20 Events
