Falun Dafa Day flag raising held in Amherstburg

A musical performance capped Falun Dafa Day celebrations at Amherstburg town hall last Thursday.

Falun Dafa Day is once again being celebrated in Amherstburg, with a flag raising ceremony held last week.

The ceremony included members of the local Falun Dafa Association in colourful cultural attire holding banners and performing music and was held last Thursday morning (April 30). The actual Falun Dafa Day is May 13, with Falun Dafa being about truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

Peter Zhang, a representative of the Falun Dafa Association, said it was part of Falun Dafa Month.

“We are very honoured to raise the flag in Amherstburg and celebrate the 31^st anniversary,” he said. “This is our fifth consecutive year of having a flag raising here.”

Zhang said Canada and the world are struggling with very serious issues.

“We need to stand together and support each other in good faith for kindness, peace and prosperity,” he said. 

Karen Yu, another Falun Dafa Association representative, stated Falun Dafa is also known as Falun Gong and that it is a “peaceful, spiritual discipline, rooted in the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance.” She said Mayor Michael Prue is a longtime ally of Falun Dafa, with his support dating back 27 years.

Yu said Amherstburg was the first Falun Dafa Day celebration in Canada in 2026.

“The flag raising ceremony stands as a leading testament to the values that Canada hosts, where freedom and peace is cherished and protected,” she said.

Falun Dafa was first introduced in China in 1992 and is now practiced in 53 countries and its teachings have been translated into 53 languages, Yu pointed out.

“Here in Ontario, our practitioners represent a beautiful mosaic of ethnicities,” she said. “They are all brought together by shared universal values.”

Yu added the story of Falun Dafa has also included hardship, causing them to show resilience, integrity and courage. She said practitioners have faced the “shadow of oppression” in China and accused the Chinese communist party of “persecution” and a “large scale misinformation campaign.” There has also been transnational repression in Canada, Yu charged, “aimed at silencing our voices and disturbing our peace here in Canada.”

Prue said he has participated in Falun Dafa celebrations while serving in East York, Toronto, the Ontario Legislature and now in Amherstburg.

“For 27 years, I have stated my hope that one day the Chinese government will come to its senses and recognize what a wonderful association Falun Dafa is and will stop the persecution,” said Prue. “For 27 years, I guess they haven’t heard me. Or maybe they’ve heard me too well.”

According to Prue, after last year’s ceremony, he received a letter “warning me to stop supporting Falun Dafa.” 

“I have never been told by a foreign authority or anyone in Canada to stop saying what I believe is true,” he added. “This was the first time. I was taken aback and I was a little angry. We phoned the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and they took the letter. They said they didn’t know if they could do much with it, but they thanked me for reporting it to them and I informed them I would continue to support this organization and the freedom Falun Dafa brings to people around the world.”

Prue read the proclamation passed by town council and then invited the Falun Dafa Association to discover Amherstburg and show the community what they are all about.

Falun Dafa Day flag raising held in Amherstburg

By Ron Giofu