(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) practitioners held a series of activities at Stephansplatz (a square in downtown Vienna) on July 18, 2026, to raise awareness of the 27-year persecution of Falun Gong in China. They exposed chilling details about what happens to practitioners in China, and called on the public to help end the persecution. St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Domkirche St. Stephan) is located next to the square, and is one of Vienna’s most well-known landmarks. During this peak tourist season, visitors flock to the City of Music to enjoy its attractions.

Falun Dafa practitioners in Austria held an event at Stephansplatz on July 18, 2026, to raise awareness of the 27-year persecution of Falun Dafa in China. (Minghui.org)

Some practitioners demonstrated the five Falun Dafa exercises. The slow, gentle movements, accompanied by soothing music, drew the attention of many passersby.

Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrated the exercises at Stephansplatz on July 18, 2026. (Minghui.org)

A practitioner explained the basics of Falun Dafa to passersby and exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing persecution of the practice in China and abroad. The CCP’s most heinous crime is the large-scale, state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from living Falun Dafa practitioners, which are sold for transplantation and generate huge profits.

A Falun Dafa practitioner talks about Falun Dafa and the persecution occurring in China. (Minghui.org)

A Falun Dafa spokesperson said that on July 16, 2026, the Austrian Falun Dafa Association submitted a petition, signed by 12,010 people, to the International Law Office of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The petition urges the Austrian government to openly condemn the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa and involuntary organ harvesting; to legislate and ban organ tourism to China; and to implement the European Parliament resolutions passed on December 12, 2013, May 5, 2022, and December 5, 2024, regarding the CCP’s forced organ harvesting.

In May 2026, the Austrian National Council unanimously passed an amendment to the Organ Transplantation Act, banning organ tourism companies and platforms from advertising or profiting from the sale of vital organs. In June 2026, a draft amendment to the Criminal Code was officially under review.

Many of those who learned what happened to the practitioners in the persecution were shocked and expressed their sympathy for the victims. They signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution.

Passersby sign the petition after learning about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China. (Minghui.org)

A woman from Israel told a practitioner that she and her husband had previously practiced Falun Dafa, and she felt that meeting the practitioners again felt like a reunion. She had read Zhuan Falun before, so the practitioner recommended she find other books on the Falun Dafa website. The practitioner also recommended that she read the articles “How Humankind Came to Be,” “Why the Creator Seeks to Save All Life,” and “Why This World Is a Realm of Unknowing.” She gladly agreed to read the literature and said she planned to resume practicing after returning home.

After learning about the persecution, a woman from South Africa said, “This is unsettling! I’m glad to see that people are willing to help end the atrocity.”

A man and his family from China were visiting Vienna. A practitioner asked him if he had heard about Falun Dafa in China. He said he had heard smear campaigns against it in the CCP-controlled media. The practitioner explained the history of Falun Gong, noting that it was first taught publicly as a form of qigong in 1992. Unable to tolerate its growing popularity, the CCP cracked down on the practice. It staged phony events and forged news to slander Falun Gong and justify the persecution.

The man said that a person can have faith, but it should not oppose politics. The practitioner told him that faith is what a person bases his words and actions on. In a broader sense, it is a person’s worldview. In a narrower sense, it is the framework of a person’s views on health, culture, and nutrition. As long as a person thinks, he needs to base his thoughts on his faith. Faith goes far beyond the reach of politics, and there is no issue of opposition.

The man spent some time discussing other questions with the practitioner. In the end, he readily quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations that he had once joined.

Two young men from China said they had a positive impression of Falun Dafa. A practitioner told them that the CCP’s involvement in harvesting organs from living practitioners has been exposed to the international community and suggested they sign the petition calling for an end to this crime. “If one day the CCP collapses, it would be one of your great achievements,” the practitioner said. Both men signed the petition without hesitation.

Wolfgang, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Austria. (Minghui.org)

Wolfgang is from Austria and has been a practitioner for several years. Earlier that morning, he helped move equipment and set up the information booth. He said, “I want people to understand what is happening to practitioners in China. Perhaps they can join us and help protect the practice that is beneficial to the world. I do my best to encourage people to make the right decision.” He said he will continue to let more people know about Falun Dafa and the ongoing persecution.

Practitioners Alex (left) and Diknu performed live music. (Minghui.org)

Alex is a practitioner and a guitarist who has been involved in activities to raise awareness of the persecution since it began in 1999. He has written many songs about Falun Dafa. Alex played guitar with Diknu, also a practitioner, to share the beautiful message of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance with passersby. One person who watched their performance said that despite the grim situation of the persecution, he felt a sense of beauty and uplifting lightness in their music.