(Minghui.org) On the occasion of the 2015 Hong Kong Falun Dafa Conference, practitioners held a grand march on January 17 to raise awareness of the persecution in China. Locals welcomed the Falun Gong march as a beacon of courage in times of political uncertainty in Hong Kong, while many Chinese tourists took advantage of the opportunity to renounce their Party memberships.

A local man, Mr. Luo, clapped as he watched the procession pass. “I really like it. It's so moving,” he said.

He told the reporter that Saturdays were the only days he had free time, “I have been waiting for this [march] for a long time—I have been here every Saturday so I could catch it. I like Falun Gong.”

After learning how that quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organizations may bring inner peace and a brighter future, Mr. Luo quit the Young Pioneers, a communist organization he was forced to join at a very young age before he moved to Hong Kong.

Ms. Xu, a local business owner, said, “Only Falun Gong practitioners dare to speak the truth about the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP has done so much damage to our society. It is very bad.”

“Please keep it up,” she said after she quit the CCP organizations. “We are all counting on you.”

About 1000 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and other southeast Asian countries joined the “Awaken the Conscience and End the Persecution” march.

Another woman told a practitioner, “Killing Falun Gong practitioners for their organs is horrible—it should not happen! Falun Gong is good. I know it.” In the end, she quit the Young Pioneers, the only communist organization she had ever joined.

Practitioner Rong overheard one middle-aged man tell another as they watched the march, “I know the CCP is bad; that is why I immigrated to Hong Kong.” She talked with both of them and asked if they would like to dissociate themselves from the CCP organizations. Both agreed.

A familiar event to Hong Kong residents, such marches never cease to amaze tourists from the mainland.

Among them was Mr. He, who videotaped the march with his mobile phone, “This is the first time I've ever seen a parade like this—it's awesome.”

Acknowledging the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, Mr. He said everyone should have the freedom of belief. “It's important to be a good person, to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, to have a conscience.”

Ms. Xu, who traveled from Shenzhen City in Guangdong Province, said it was the first time she had ever attended a march like this. “It is much bigger than what I thought it would be. I believe the values of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will have a positive effect on society.” She said what she saw here was very different from the propaganda about Falun Gong in Mainland China, and that she believed in freedom of belief.

About 1000 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and other southeast Asian countries participated in the parade, which focused on “Awaking Conscience and Ending Persecution.”

Led by the Divine Land Marching Band, the march was composed of six contingents: “Awaking Conscience,” “Opposing the Persecution,” “Supporting Righteousness,” “The Power of the Nine Commentaries,” “Quitting the Chinese Communist Party,” and “Falun Dafa Is Good.”

The event started at 2 p.m. and lasted about three hours. Many people stopped to watch, take pictures, and quit the Party.