(Minghui.org) Practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate on April 25, 2026, to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the April 25 appeal in Beijing. They did the exercises, talked with passersby about the benefits of practicing Falun Dafa, and told them how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes the spiritual discipline.

Practitioners rallied in front of Chinese Consulate on April 25, 2026, to mark the anniversary of the April 25 appeal.

Passersby learn about Falun Dafa and the CCP’s persecution.

Recalling the April 25 Appeal

Ms. Su spoke about the April 25 appeal in Beijing. She said that, after a Tianjin magazine published a slanderous report about Falun Dafa in April 1999, practitioners went to the editor to explain what Falun Dafa is. When the police arrested 45 of them, the Tianjin authorities told the practitioners who requested their release to go to Beijing to resolve the issue. So, many practitioners went to the National Appeals Office in Beijing on April 25, 1999.

“Practitioners follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” Ms. Su said. “No one chanted slogans. They stood quietly, read the Falun Dafa books, or did the exercises. They did not disrupt traffic and they even picked up the trash. But the CCP claimed they were ‘besieging the CCP headquarters’ and used this as an excuse to launch the persecution.”

She said that practitioners were calm and self-disciplined because they follow Falun Dafa’s principles. Over the past 27 years, practitioners have continued to clarify the truth to the public about the persecution.

Commemorating the Appeal

Ms. Xu said she began practicing Falun Dafa in 1997, because her mother recovered from stomach cancer after she started to practice it.

“My mother was diagnosed with stomach cancer when she was 59 years old, and her prognosis was very poor,” Ms. Xu recalled. “After practicing Falun Dafa, she recovered. She is now 90 years old, lives with me, and is healthy. I witnessed how much she changed, and I was moved.”

After practicing Falun Dafa, Ms. Xu’s health and character improved. “Falun Dafa teaches me to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in how I look at things and interact with other people. I was stunned when the CCP initiated the persecution in 1999, because I think Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are the most fundamental and core values for a human being. If these values are denied, society loses the most important core values.”

Ms. Xu said she’s participated in the protest in front of the Chinese Consulate in Chicago on April 25 every year since 1999. She said, “For me, this is my responsibility.”

Public Support for the Event

Ella Zaen (left) and friend Mitchell Siegel at the protest

Mitchell Siegel, a lawyer in Chicago, and his friend Ella Zaen, an accountant, were appalled to hear about the CCP’s 27-year persecution. They admired the practitioners’ perseverance and signed the petition calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the Falun Gong Protection Act.

Mitchell said, “I think they [practitioners] are doing an excellent job. They conduct themselves with such peacefulness that they enable people to focus on the issues caused by the CCP. This is a great way to convey their message, and I am very grateful to have this opportunity to express my support.”

Ella added, “As Mitchell said, they are so peaceful. Thank you for letting us know about this issue.”

Jeremy Lincoln

Jeremy Lincoln said, “If everyone practiced the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, this world would be a paradise. I will search online for the book Zhuan Falun and read it.

“I think this is very good. I like the way they protest for freedom of belief. I think the CCP conducts the persecution because Falun Dafa is good and so many people practice it. But any tyranny, including communism, should not exist.”

Ameer Awad

Ameer Awad, who was drawn by the group exercises, said, “This meditation is good for everyone. We need Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in all aspects of our lives.”

He was appalled when he heard about the CCP’s persecution in China and said, “We should stop this persecution immediately. Practitioners should have freedom of belief and practice like we do in the U.S.”

Mo Alhama (left) and his friend Jorge Vanegas

Jorge Vanegas of Chicago and his friend Mo Alhama from Portage, Indiana, signed the petition. Mo, said, “This is a wonderful practice. I hope practitioners in China have freedom to practice soon.”

Trevon Sampson (left) and Taniyah Tunstill signed the petition.

“I am happy to get the information and learn about the issue,” Taniyah said. “I think they [practitioners] should not be persecuted. This practice is so peaceful, but the persecution is insane.”

Background: What Is the April 25 Appeal?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries. Millions of people have embraced the teachings—which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance as well as five gentle exercises—and experienced improved health and well-being.

On April 23 and 24, 1999, police officials in Tianjin, a city near Beijing, arrested dozens of practitioners who’d gathered outside a magazine office to discuss errors in a recently-published article attacking Falun Dafa. As word spread of the arrests and more practitioners inquired with officials, they were told they had to take their appeal to Beijing.

The following day, April 25, some 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners spontaneously gathered at the National Appeals office in Beijing, as they had been instructed by Tianjin officials. The gathering was peaceful and orderly. Several Falun Dafa representatives were called in to meet with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and members of his staff. That evening, practitioners’ concerns were answered. The arrested practitioners in Tianjin were released, and everyone went home.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the CCP, perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners due to the persecution over the years, although the actual number is suspected to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.