On June 21, a one-year-old infant from Taichung was allegedly physically abused while in the care of a babysitter, a 24-year-old resident of the city, surnamed Kuo. The baby’s injuries were so severe that she fell into a coma and the infant is currently receiving emergency treatment at China Medical University Hospital. According to medical staff, the child has already undergone surgery to remove a blood clot, and remains in intensive care and under close observation.
At around 9pm on June 24, three days after the baby was admitted to hospital, a man named Liu Kuan-ting, the administrator of a citizens’ action Facebook group, started filming a live stream and called on fellow Taichung residents to convene outside the rented apartment occupied by Kuo on Taiping Hansi East Road to “obtain justice.”
By 11pm that evening, a crowd of 300 angry locals had amassed outside the entrance to the apartment block and were yelling for the babysitter to come outside. Meanwhile, 180 riot police arrived at the address and sealed off the road. The crowd began to push and shove against police officers and some tried to force their way into the building, while others lobbed eggs at the entrance. Police officers were seen intervening to prevent more egg throwing by two individuals.
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者陳建志
Chief Detective Chen Chun-yen was dispatched to the scene several times by Taiping Precinct Police Chief Chang Tse-cheng to calm the crowd. Chen explained that evidence had already been gathered, statements obtained and the case was now in the hands of prosecutors for review. However, Chen’s attempts to reason with the crowd fell on deaf ears and they began shouting again: “Arrest her! Lock her up!” A section of the crowd then peeled off and headed for Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office to stage a separate protest.
The baby’s mother addressed the crowd, thanking them for their support and sympathy, but appealed for calm and stressed that all she wanted to do was to stay by her daughter’s side.
“I really wish this were just a terrible dream, I wish it were me lying on that bed in intensive care.” She added: “I hope the babysitter will tell the truth and justice can be done.”
Photo: screen grab from Facebook
照片：取自臉書
Around midnight, several more clashes between the crowd and police occurred, with people hurling more eggs, in addition to ghost money, at the apartment block. Police officers used pepper spray to control the crowd and, during the ensuing scuffles, several officers were pelted with eggs.
By 1am, 40 police officers in full riot gear arrived on the scene. The precinct’s deputy chief held up a sign ordering the crowd to disperse and then riot police moved in, using force to bring the situation under control, dragging away six individuals. At this point, the crowd finally began to disperse. The instigator of the flash mob, Liu, was arrested by police for breaking the Social Order Maintenance Act. The police have said any other members of the crowd deemed to have broken the law will be arrested under the act or the Criminal Code.
Liu later issued a statement saying he will pay a fine, but insisted his actions were not an appeal for mob justice, rather his intention was to shed light on an important issue.
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者張瑞楨
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
台中一歲女嬰由二十四歲郭姓保母照顧，六月二十一日疑受虐昏迷不醒就醫，六月二十四日晚間九點有網友開直播號召群眾到保母住處討公道，並要求檢方「開出拘票、聲請羈押」才願撤離，現場聚集約三百人，雞蛋、冥紙齊飛，爆發多波警民衝突，警方最後噴灑辣椒水，並出動鎮暴警察，群眾才散去，結束四個多小時的脫序行為。
中國醫藥大學附設醫院表示，女嬰已進行手術清除血塊，仍在加護病房觀察，女嬰母親則出面感謝大家聲援，但希望大家冷靜，強調只想陪在女兒身邊，並發文表示，「我多麼希望這一切都是夢，多麼希望躺在裡面的是我」；她還說，希望保母能說出真相，還她一個公道。
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者陳建志
前晚九點左右，臉書「冠廷往事」直播主劉冠廷，在粉絲專頁號召民眾前往太平旱溪東路、郭女的租屋處討公道，在樓下大喊要她出來面對，也要求檢警立刻拘捕郭女。
太平警分局長張則誠坐鎮指揮，數度由偵查隊長陳俊彥出面向民眾說明，表示相關證據、供詞都已做完，並將郭女函送檢方偵辦，現場民眾不接受，不斷高喊：「開出拘票、聲請羈押」，部分群眾還轉進台中地檢署抗議。
深夜十一點多，戒備警力約達一百八十人，並進行封路，現場約三百群眾大喊：「保母出來！」並與警方發生推擠，這時有人要衝進社區，還朝社區大門丟雞蛋，警方壓制兩名丟雞蛋的人。
昨凌晨零點過後又爆發數波衝突，現場雞蛋、冥紙齊飛，警方也噴灑辣椒水壓制，多名員警遭蛋洗，凌晨一點多時，四十名鎮暴警察全副武裝到場，分局長舉牌命令解散，警方強制壓制帶離六人，群眾才散去，包括直播主劉冠廷，將依違反社會秩序維護法函送，對有違法事證者，也將依刑法及社維法究辦。
劉冠廷說，他會去繳罰鍰，並說他不是號召鄉民私刑正義，而是把問題搬上檯面。
(自由時報記者陳建志、張瑞楨、蘇孟娟)
Questions
1. What do you think motivates some people to take justice into their own hands?
2. What, if anything, could have been done to encourage the angry crowd to disperse peacefully on this occasion?
3. Do social media companies have a responsibility to censor posts that might incite violence or cause harm to an individual?
4. Were the tactics used by the police to disperse the crowd a proportionate use of force?
(Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
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