My first ever trip to Dublin was just for the Carly Rae Jepsen concert, plus some sightseeing around it. I was strolling up the bustling O’Connell Street, towards the Spire, when I walked into two political manifestations.

One of them was by Falun Gong, a Chinese religious movement founded in the early 1990s, also known as Falun Dafa. Its practice consists of a set of exercises supposed to give the members a spiritual ascension.

Falun Gong is surrounded by controversy, mostly because of the reported persecution from the Chinese government and its ultra-conservative values. The values that do not align with mine, and if I had known this at the time, I wouldn’t have stopped when one of their activists struck up a chat.

She said that they are “raising awareness about the persecution happening in China,” adding that “everyone who practices this, is put to jail, where many die.” In fact, Falun Gong has been categorized as an illegal organization since 1999. “Many people have disappeared,” she went on, “their organs are taken while they’re alive.” She was referring to organ harvesting allegations. There’s a rumour that Falun Gong followers are being killed by the government for their organs to supply China’s transplant industry. Make what you like of it, and do your own research.

The activist hinted that various governments are already in the know, but the general public “has no idea”. She pointed at the petitions laid out on the table. Aimed at the Irish Government, they urge to criminalize organ transplantations, and to “emphatically demand the Chinese Government to cease at once the persecution of Falun Gong and release immediately all Falun Gong practitioners.” Right next to it, another petition calls to “end” the Chinese Communist Party…

As she was telling me all this, a group of Falun Gong followers was performing slow, graceful movements in unison. Gentle zen music was playing from the speakers. She said that after the pandemic, and now with war going on, these exercises are much recommended. She offered free workshops, either face-to-face or online, as an antidote to sad news. “The world needs positive energy,” she said.