(Minghui.org) The Camden Mela (also known as the Camden Market South Asian Mela) in Coram’s Fields in London attracted large crowds on July 12, 2026.

Falun Dafa practitioners were invited to participate in the multicultural festival, where they introduced the practice to visitors. Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance resonated with many visitors, some of whom started to learn the Falun Dafa exercises.

People also signed a petition calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 27-year-long persecution.

Falun Dafa practitioners at the Camden Mela in London on July 12. (Minghui.org)

Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month in England, this year’s festival centered on the theme of “fostering community cohesion,” bringing together over 100 community and charitable organizations and cultural groups. Members of a number of South Asian communities, including those of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi heritage, participated in the event.

After the Falun Dafa practitioners put out their banner about the exercise demonstration in the morning, a woman from the fashion booth opposite them came over to learn the exercises. Until the end of the event that evening, a constant stream of people came by the booth asking questions, trying the exercises, and signing the petition to call for an end to the persecution. People seemed to appreciate the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and expressed a fondness for the practice.

After learning the exercises, one woman said she sensed very good energy. She said that she felt very peaceful and comfortable when she was learning the exercises.

A Mother and Daughter Practice the Fifth Exercise

A mother who wanted to encourage her daughter to meditate brought her to the booth. Both of them sat down to learn the fifth exercise, which is a meditation. As the melodious and comforting exercise music played, the two of them followed a practitioner to do the movements and gently closed their eyes. Before long, both of them were visibly calm and peaceful.

After a few minutes, the mother slowly opened her eyes and gave a relaxed smile. “This is really very comfortable. It felt as though I was in the mountains, floating freely.” The daughter also said she enjoyed the brief moment of being in a relaxed state.

A mother and daughter learned the fifth exercise and experienced the relaxing and calming effects of meditation. (Minghui.org)

Experiencing Tranquility Amidst the Clamor

After lunch, the song and dance performances on stage officially started. Joyful drum beats and spirited music resounded throughout the park. A steady stream of visitors flowed by, and crowds of people, eager to try out the exercises, kept gathering at the booth.

Lisa and her friend Vicky were very interested in the meditation, so they followed a practitioner to a field opposite the booth to learn the fifth exercise.

Vicky (second from left) and her friend Lisa (first on right) learn the meditation. (Minghui.org)

Although the sounds of song and dance and the voices of the crowd surrounded them, the pair soon settled into a state of deep stillness. After the meditation session ended, Lisa said, “I felt very peaceful and relaxed, although the surroundings are very noisy. But it is also because of that that I am able to cherish this moment in which I can calm down and focus on the present.”

After trying out the exercise, Vicky said that she hoped to continue learning Falun Dafa. (Minghui.org)

Vicky smiled and asked a practitioner for a contact number: “I feel great and I want to go home and continue the experience.” That night, Vicky sent a long message to the practitioner, saying, “The first time when I slowly exhaled, the surrounding music and people’s voices gradually faded away, leaving only me and the present. That was a unique, fleeting, yet incredibly real moment.”

She also wrote that, in this era filled with information and all kinds of stimuli, people need to give their souls a moment of rest and experience a few minutes of tranquility and peace each day.

She left a five stars comment on the google map: “This is my first time trying the Falun Dafa exercises. The volunteer is very passionate and friendly and she makes me feel very welcome. I used to practice yoga and am familiar with breathing exercises. But Falun Dafa makes me feel inner peace and an ability to consciously focus on the present moment even more.”

Visitors Agree With the Principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance

Azaf, a teenager, read the display board about Falun Dafa having spread all over the world and commented that such a community event can help people get closer to things that are healthy, positive, and educational. Speaking of the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance that Falun Dafa advocates, Azaf said, “These principles are very good and very pure. They can help people to become better.”

His friend Zayden also liked the principles of Falun Dafa. He said, “You are spreading traditional values. I think that they will have a positive impact on British society. They carry profound significance.”

Azaf (left) and Zayden said that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance could help people to become better. (Minghui.org)

Family social work volunteer Isa tried meditation for the first time and said, “I feel very relaxed yet both of my legs are full of energy. This also made me sense that I should place more importance on my health.”

Nadia commented, “Everybody should be free to live as they choose and not be suppressed. They should also have the freedom to belief.” Her husband Mr. Hussein, an economist, said, “Everybody should have the freedom to practice their own religious belief.”

Nadia (middle) with her husband and daughter. (Minghui.org)

Security Guards Sign the Petition

Two security guards walked past the booth on patrol. When they learned that the Falun Dafa practitioners are being persecuted because they practice Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, they read the display boards and signed the petition to show their support for the efforts to end the persecution.

One of the guards, Kamal, said that he hoped that Falun Dafa practitioners would hold more community events in the future so that more people would have a chance to find out about the practice and the importance of freedom of belief.

He was willing to support efforts to end the persecution “because we are all one family. When others are suffering, it is as though my own siblings are suffering. We cannot stand idle and do nothing about it.”

The other guard, Abdul, said, “Such events are very meaningful. They help more people learn about the things that are currently happening so that they can take care of and help one another within the community. That is how to build a better society together.”

Security guards Kamal (left) and Abdul (Minghui.org)

Two Chinese Women Quit the CCP Organizations

A group of Chinese women dressed in colorful, traditional Mongolian costumes performed on stage. During a break in their performance, a practitioner spoke to them about what has been happening to Falun Dafa practitioners in China and the importance of quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations.

After understanding that they had pledged their lives to the CCP when they joined the Young Pioneers and Youth League, the women said that they had not understood the significance of this in the past. Two of them decided to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations and said they hoped that they would never again have anything more to do with the CCP.

One of the women was surprised to discover that the practitioner who was speaking to them actually came from her village in China. Both of them felt a strong sense of connection. They exchanged contact information and agreed to stay in touch.

People Notice the Exercises in the Parade

At 3 p.m., the stage performances temporarily came to a halt, and the sound of drums marked the official start of the festival parade. Diverse community and cultural groups, clad in vibrant traditional dress and accompanied by drums and dance, paraded around the park, carrying their distinctive banners and flags.

Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrated the exercises in the parade. (Minghui.org)

The practitioners held a “Falun Dafa” banner and demonstrated the exercises. Many visitors stopped in their tracks and used their mobile phones to record the practitioners’ exercise movements. Falun Dafa’s serene and tranquil energy attracted many to pause and look.

Compassion Continues to Spread

At 6 p.m. the event came to a close. A representative of the organizers, Nogia, came by to thank practitioners for their hard work throughout the day and also for bringing such a harmonious and healthy exercise experience to the community. She signed the petition to support ending the persecution and said that she hoped practitioners would participate in the festival in the future.

While the practitioners were packing up, visitors still stopped by. Some of them brought their friends to sign the petition while others who’d tried out the medication brought their family members. The woman from the booth opposite gave the practitioners a goodbye hug.