The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday urged the police to respect the public’s freedom of assembly and refrain from provoking protesters at a demonstration the party will hold on May 17.
“The role of the police is to safeguard the public’s right to assemble. Most of the time, when a parade turns violent it is usually because the law enforcers have abused their authority,” DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said.
Cheng said the rally would be held to allow the public to voice its growing discontent toward the government for its failure to improve the job market and protect Taiwan’s sovereignty in talks with Beijing.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
“We want to let President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) know that people are angry and wary of him selling out Taiwan. We want to let him know that a common market with China is detrimental to Taiwan,” he said.
The parade will have four routes, Cheng said. Protesters will gather at 2pm in front of National Taiwan University, the Wellcome market on Zhongxiao E Road, the Wanhua Train Station and the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium. All four routes will meet up in front of the Presidential Office, he said.
Cheng said the DPP had no plan to cancel the demonstration because of the H1N1 virus. However, if swine flu breaks out in Taiwan by the time of the parade, it would be the government’s responsibility to curtail all large-scale public assemblies from taking place, he said.
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