The protest movement launched by former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (
The demonstrations are a sharp contrast to those held by former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (
Shih's red-clad crowd, chanting a variety of slogans in its effort to oust President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), is boisterous and energetic.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
It has become common for political commentators to describe the campaign as "sort of like a festival."
The protests began on Sept. 9 and have twice been forced to relocate to Taipei Railway Station from Ketagalan Boulevard.
During the day, the majority of the protesters taking part in the sit-in are housewives and retirees. In late afternoon and the evening, students, young adults and office workers often start showing up after school or work.
The venue has become a social hot spot, where young people decked out in red outfits can get together.
Every 30 minutes or so, the campaign's organizers lead the crowd in chanting slogans such as "A-bian step down!," and do "exercise dances" come rain or shine.
At nights, the protest becomes a stage performance, with actors, singers and artists taking turns entertaining the crowd with pop songs, dances and performances by talk show hosts and impersonators of the late president Chiang Ching-kuo (
Participants' enthusiasm was notable during the first week of the protest, during which people brought free food and goods to the site and gave them away to the protesters.
In addition to "Grandpa Chang's" free water booth, which was sponsored by an overseas Taiwanese residing in Canada, people distributed a variety of free goods, including foodstuffs -- ranging from traditional deep-fried bread sticks, lunch boxes, stir-fried noodles, cakes and hot ginger tea -- raincoats, tents and newspapers.
Around meal time, there is always a long line of participants -- and even some homeless people -- waiting to get the free food distributed near the campaign's headquarters on Ketagalan Boulevard.
According to the camp's organizers, there are also participants who make several trips through the lines to get as much food as they can.
When the sit-in was held on Ketagalan Boulevard, a "50-something" woman surnamed Lee and her neighbor said they went there every day, bringing folding chairs, books and water.
"The weather is changeable these days, so we wear hats and have raincoats and long-sleeve shirts in our bags ... We are becoming professional protesters," Lee told the Taipei Times.
With a red ribbon in her hair and wearing a red halter-top and matching mini-skirt, 19-year-old Chen Shih-ting (
"Young people should also care about politics and do something for our country," she said, after sharing her opinions last week on stage in front of the crowd on Ketagalan Boulevard, before the protest was relocated to the railway station.
Encouraging protesters to wear red and building a stage for people to share their opinions and entertain the crowd are just some of the ideas from campaign spokesman Jerry Fan (
Some people criticized that the gimmicks decided on by Fan -- such as having protesters form imitation "Nazca Lines" in the shape of a giant drawing compass on the first day of the protest -- as blurring the movement's focus and turn it into a carnival.
But protesters taking part disagree, arguing that the campaign allows them to voice their opinions creatively, and has distinguished itself from typical political or social movements.
Chuang Yao-chia (
"We worry that our country will be led into decay by an irresponsible leader," she said.
Wang Hsiu-hua (
"A-bian and his family took so much money, but we can't even afford a school lunch program for our kids," she said.
Lee Ting-tsan (
But he added that the movement was primarily composed of middle-class protesters and might create a class war.
"The movement, with its different tastes and styles than the pro-Chen rallies, might lead its middle-class protesters to develop a feeling of discrimination against the grassroots pro-Chen crowd, and therefore create a class confrontation," he said.
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