A small group of bloggers and Internet users staged a “flash mob” protest in front of the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon to oppose the government’s decision to relax restrictions on US bone-in beef and beef products.
Chen Tai-yuan (陳泰源), who led the nine-strong protest, said yesterday was just the beginning of a long campaign and they hoped to stage at least one flash mob protest a day at mass rapid transit system (MRT) stations. Videos of the protests would be posted on YouTube, he said.
Chanting “Oppose toxic beef! Just say no! Relaunch negotiations,” participants in black lay on the ground for two minutes playing dead. They staged two protests, an hour apart.
Chen said they wore black to signify a funeral for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his administration, which he said had failed to protect the health of the public.
“Vegetarians can get mad cow disease,” he said. “There is a proven case in India.”
While the administration has reassured the public on the safety of US bone-in beef and beef products, Chen said he was not convinced.
“If it is safe, why did Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) say he would only eat US beef if President Ma eats it,” he said.
When asked whether he would eat US beef if Ma ate it in public to vouch for its safety, Chen said if Ma was willing to risk his own life that was his business.
Chen said he looked at the matter from two perspectives. One was whether US beef was safe and the other was how the administration had conducted its negotiations with Washington.
On the safety of US beef, Chen said Japan had sent food safety experts to the US to examine the slaughter of cattle younger than 20 months old and the expenses had been paid for by the US government. Taiwan, on the other hand, was conducting random checks at its own expense.
“Why? Are we second-class citizens or something?” he said. “Where is our dignity?”
Participants in yesterday’s protest said they supported the cause, but did not want their faces to be seen.
An 18-year-old who covered his face with a denim jacket said media exposure would not be good for his modeling career. Another participant wearing a surgical mask, black sunglasses and a baseball cap said he was not a supporter of the Democratic Progressive Party, but he believed in the ban on US bone-in beef. His position, however, ran counter to that of his company, a TV station.
Peng Lung-san (彭龍三), a motor scooter mechanic, lamented the fact that ordinary people were powerless, saying the government did whatever it wanted in its own interests.
Speaking from his own experience, Peng said the Taipei City Government had turned a deaf ear to his pleas not to demolish his apartment to make way for a new, bigger building complex. He said the city approved of such projects under the pretext of “urban planning.”
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