Religious groups and members of civic organizations advocating “traditional family values” yesterday rallied outside the Judicial Yuan in Taipei, a rally that became a protest after the Council of Grand Justices in the afternoon issued a constitutional interpretation in favor of the legalization of same-sex marriage.
The protesters included members of the Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance, the Association for Taiwan Social Stability, the Alliance of Religious Groups for the Love of Families Taiwan and other groups that have vehemently opposed marriage equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
At the initially boisterous rally, demonstrators accompanied their chants with drums and other musical instruments, while many people held up banners or placards with slogans such as “We do not welcome same-sex marriage in Taiwan,” “Defend the traditional family,” “The judicial process is unfair” and “Justice is dead and buried.”
Photo: Liu Hsin-te, Taipei Times
After the grand justices’ interpretation was announced, many of the demonstrators reacted angrily or broke into tears.
They denounced the Council of Grand Justices and ripped up paper to symbolize their disbelief in the justices’ explanations for the ruling.
The chants turned to “Shame on the judiciary,” “We want a referendum,” “Down with the Judicial Yuan president” and “Down with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).”
Photo: Wen Yu-te, Taipei Times
The interpretation represents “the elite of the nation’s judiciary system bullying the majority opinion of the public,” alliance convener Yu Hsin-yi (游信義) said, adding that it is wrong for the “lawmaking body to interfere with justice.”
“We are very disappointed with the ruling and plan to continue to fighting against it with all our might,” Yu told an improptu news conference at the rally site. “We plan to request that the Control Yuan conduct a probe into the grand justices.”
He said the grand justices had “rigged the process” by calling expert witnesses to testify, none of whom stood for traditional family values or the protection of the sacred institution of marriage.
Yu vowed to push for a national referendum so that the public could have their say on the issue, and also to redouble efforts with a signature campaign to recall legislators he said had failed to listen to their constituents on the issue.
Alliance lawyer Yeh Kuang-chou (葉光洲) said the constitutional interpretation puts Taiwan on the map as the first to allow same-sex marriage in Asia, “but we might lose many things in the future, and I am afraid to find out.”
“The grand justices should not become spokespeople for movements that advocate social causes. The ruling shows our justice system is biased toward certain groups,” Yeh said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS