Campaigners against pension reform were coy yesterday when asked about planned protests outside Universiade events, while rebutting Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) comments that protests would cause the nation to lose face.
“Gentle protests to show the international community that our government has acted inappropriately should not have a negative influence on our international image,” National Federation of Teachers’ Unions director-general Huang Yao-nan (黃耀南) said, adding that he and other teachers would attend and watch Universiade events next month, which is to be the largest international sporting event ever hosted by Taiwan.
Ko earlier this month called for protest plans be put on hold to keep the nation from losing face during the Games, which he said should be treated as a “celebration” by the entire nation.
Enhanced security measures are planned for the events, some of which President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to attend, after protesters began tracking Tsai’s movements, with some people throwing shoes and smoke bombs toward her.
Huang yesterday said that his union would not mobilize members, but that individuals were likely to launch “spontaneous” protests inside and outside Univerisade venues.
“There should not be any throwing of objects,” he said, adding that protesters planned to hold banners and other “gentle” means to make their voices heard.
Plans to stage a mass demonstration in early September are on hold, unless retired military personnel choose to take action, he said.
Retired military personnel were spared from the round of pension reforms targeting civil servants and teachers which passed last month.
Taiwan Policemen Association executive director Chen Chih-chieh (陳志傑) said his group still had not decided whether to protest at the Universiade, because the protests would appear to target Ko rather than Tsai.
“We still have not made a final decision, because Ko is a ‘white’ independent, not a ‘green’ or ‘blue’ figure affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party or Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT),” he said, adding that any protests would likely be small and limited to individuals.
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