Newspapers in April reported that five men entered a classroom at Shih Hsin University in Taipei and wrote on the whiteboard: “Let’s enter the eight major businesses” (初入八大) — referring to the likes of bars, clubs and massage parlors. They also hit on female students on campus and drove one away from the university.
The police handled the case according to provisions of the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), but the Taipei District Court ruled that the five did not affect campus order and took the whiteboard message as a recruitment advertisement.
The “eight major businesses” refer to sectors that are not necessarily involved in illegal affairs, the court said, adding that this is “not punishable.”
The “eight major businesses” usually refers to the sex industry.
Universities are places of education and should maintain a simple, peaceful learning environment. Some post “no sales” signs at their entrances and during election campaigns, they post notices banning election activities from campuses to maintain “administrative neutrality” in the hope that teachers and students will feel at ease while teaching and learning, and not be subject to interference from outsiders.
The “eight major businesses” openly entering a university campus to “recruit talent” shows their evil motives.
The law cannot only look at whether a crime has been committed, nor can it focus solely on the final result. It must also look into the motives and possible effects of people’s actions.
In the Shih Hsin University case, what is most worrying is the potential for copycats.
What if a whiteboard message was an ad submitted by a man looking for a date? Would they be allowed on campus while carrying a sign asking for a companion, a roommate, a sugar baby or a one-night stand?
The purpose of making laws and regulations is to draw a red line for behavior, reminding people of what they can and cannot do. If judges keep using the protection of human rights and freedom of speech as an excuse to tolerate the acts of lawless people who challenge the law, it would accelerate the deterioration of Taiwan’s moral values.
Shiao Fu-song is a lecturer at National Taitung University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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