Taipei mayor met with protest chants at Pride after bar raid — TimesLIVE
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an was met with protest chants by participants in Taiwan's annual Pride parade following a police raid on the gay bar Commander D. The mayor, who is seeking re-election, arrived near the end of the event and stayed for about 15 minutes. As TimesLIVE reports, participants chanted calls not to raid gay bars and expressed support for his main rival, Puma Shen of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Reaction of the mayor and participants
Chiang Wan-an, a representative of the opposition Kuomintang party, had previously stated his support for the LGBTQ+ community. He apologized for the consequences of the raid for those affected and promised to conduct a thorough investigation and immediately take disciplinary action.
Event participant Alan Chan called the raid absurd and unbelievable. He questioned how such an operation could take place in a country and city that emphasize gender equality. Puma Shen, who according to some polls is ahead of the incumbent mayor, appeared in another part of the event and was warmly received by the crowd.
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Bar raid and Pride parade
Taipei police raided Commander D this month, a bar in the Ximending district, the city's main gay quarter. Law enforcement officers took 51 people in for questioning and arrested the venue's owner. Some visitors were held for more than six hours after police accused them of violating a provision that prohibits exposing the body or displaying indecent poses in a public place.
More than 170,000 people took part in this year's Pride parade, making it the largest such event in East Asia. Organizers changed the theme of the event after the raid, saying that the police search revived the historical trauma of sexually and gender-diverse communities that had faced repression by state authorities. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim led the ruling party's delegation at the parade, while President Lai Ching-te wrote that no one should feel fear because of who they are.
