A crowd yesterday marched in Taipei to rally support for US President Donald Trump and show opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.
At the parade organized by Epoch Media Group — publisher of the Epoch Times and affiliated with Falun Gong — participants carried placards with slogans such as: “Taiwan-US cooperation, we support Trump to dispose communist China” and “Taiwan, Fight for Trump.”
Some signs echoed messages used by Trump supporters who believe he won the US election last month, with phrases such as: “Stop the Steal” and “Make America Great Again.”
Photo: Jason Pan, Taipei Times
Despite Trump’s claims of election fraud, the US Electoral College on Monday affirmed US president-elect Joe Biden’s victory, awarding him 306 electoral votes — more than the 270 needed to win — to Trump’s 232. The result still must be confirmed by a joint session of the US Congress on Jan. 6.
With drums and music, the march traveled several blocks around Taipei 101, ending at a nearby plaza, where talks and music videos were presented and streamed online.
Event organizers estimated that about 8,000 people turned out for the event.
“Without US protection, Taiwan would not have its freedom, and instead we would be slaves ruled by communist China. Trump is the best US president for Taiwan, signing laws to have officials visit and sell US weapons for us to fend off a Chinese military attack,” pro-Taiwan independence campaigner Rishen Wu (吳日昇) said at the march.
In the crowd, an American, who identified himself as Jerry, said he was touched to see so many Taiwanese at the rally.
“Trump knows what it takes to counter China’s military adventurism. He has done the most for Taiwan, safeguarding its freedom and democracy... For Biden, I am not so sure if he will defend Taiwan so strongly like Trump has done in recent years,” he said.
A video allegedly featuring retired general Kao An-kuo (高安國) calling on Taiwanese military officers to surrender to China and overthrow the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has sparked outrage and calls for him to be charged with treason. The video, titled “A message to Taiwanese military officers,” allegedly shows Kao saying: “I call on commanding officers of our military troops to stand up for Chinese nationalism, to take up this duty under heaven’s mandate to save Taiwanese from oppression and terrible suffering.” Dressed in military fatigues and a beret, the lieutenant general called on officers to overthrow the “fraudulent DPP regime,”
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