National Chengchi University (NCCU) yesterday said that it would demand compensation from National Taiwan University student Hsu Che-jung (許哲榮) and his accomplices for vandalizing a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) on its campus.
The statue of Chiang sitting on a horse is near the rear exit of the university.
Hsu and his accomplices early yesterday morning allegedly severed one of the horse’s legs.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
It was an attempt to remove all symbols of authoritarianism from NCCU’s campus, Hsu said.
Thursday next week is 228 Peace Memorial Day, but the university has yet to take responsibility for the role it played during the White Terror era, he said.
Everyone in the system, including the military and police, were Chiang’s accomplices, propping up his “dictatorship,” Hsu said, adding that he targeted the statue because he considered the horse to be representative of those who helped Chiang.
“By our actions, we hope to dissolve the authoritarianism of the Chiang era from its roots and encourage Taiwanese to face their history ... while increasing the chance of dialogue,” Hsu said.
The university’s decision to seek compensation was the “worst choice” during this period of transitional justice, he said.
“The dictator created many symbols so that his status of authority could live on,” Hsu said, adding that he was sorry there are still people who defend authoritarian rule.
NCCU welcomes democratic and varied ways of expressing opinions, but would press charges against those responsible and demand compensation, university secretary-general Ho Lai-chieh (何賴傑) said.
Freedom of expression is a constitutionally guaranteed right, but NCCU does not condone violence as a form of expression, Ho said.
NCCU had previously discussed the issue and decided to preserve the statue, Ho said, adding that it has no immediate plans to change that decision.
Student groups from the two universities, as well as other youth groups, said that more attention should be paid to transitional justice, while calling for a free and independent Taiwan.
Students should act to remove the remaining vestiges of authoritarian rule and reinforce Taiwan’s democracy, the groups said.
Separately, the Transitional Justice Commission said that while it understood young people’s opinions and actions, it was nonetheless sorry to hear of Hsu’s actions.
The commission said that it encouraged faculty and students to resolve their differences through the democratic channels available at NCCU.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
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