Double standards
over a protest organized by a wanted pro-unification criminal once again raise
questions about government complicity
In the two years
that I’ve covered social activism in Taiwan, I have lost count of the number of
times when students, academics and even the elderly were pushed, handcuffed,
dragged away and taken to the police station for violating the authoritarian-era
Assembly and Parade Act, which makes it “illegal” for a group of people to
gather and protest in public spaces without obtaining the prior approval of the
authorities.
So I’m a bit
confused when the Taipei City Government tells us on April 4 that gangster
Chang An-le did not break the law during an April 1 protest near the
Legislative Yuan because he was just “passing through.” How the ex-convict, who
is currently on bail, could have just been “passing through” when the day
before he had announced he would mobilize 2,000 protesters to “retake” the
legislature, occupied by the Sunflower Movement since March 18, stretches
credulity.
But then again,
everything about Chang, aka “White Wolf” since his return has left observers scratching
their heads; on Taiwan’s most-wanted list since he absconded in 1996, Chang has
been a free man, free to appear on TV, to cultivate support with money, open
campaign offices for his pro-unification party, and to threaten people left and
right.
He and his
retinue of betel nut-chewing thugs I would not trust my cat with were just
passing through. And in the process they managed to clash with police on
several occasions and to snatch a few protesters from the other wide, who they
beat to a pulp amid screams of “Kill him! Kill him!”
It’s a good
thing Chang was only “passing through.” One can only imagine what would have
happened had he been there for real. Once again, the government has a lot of
explaining to do. A violent man heading an organization that is clearly doing
Beijing’s work in Taiwan, who should be in court if not behind bars, appears to
be receiving special protection from the state. (Photo by the author)
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