Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.”
Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day.
A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration.
Photo: screen grab from Radio Free Asia’s X account
“Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles.
Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators confronted the couple, warning the man about his behavior.
“Today is to commemorate Hong Kong’s martyrs. We do not celebrate China’s National Day,” it quoted a demonstrator as saying. “We are in Taiwan, and people are free to express their opinion.”
Taiwanese independence advocate Lee Wen-pin (李文賓) and the man reportedly pushed and slapped each other.
“You cannot touch other people’s belongings... We are asking you to leave now,” Lee said, before he called the police.
The man refused to leave and kept saying that “China has sovereignty over Taiwan,” and that “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.”
“Taiwan belongs to Taiwanese, and Hong Kong belongs to Hong Kongers,” the demonstrators said in response.
Later, police officers arrived at the scene and persuaded the couple to leave.
After they left the demonstration continued, joined by activists supporting freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and Southern Mongolia, and Taiwanese independence supporters.
“This should not happen in a free, democratic country. You can speak your mind if you disagree with our views, but he just barged in and started to knock down things and break them,” an event organizer who goes by the name Fu Tong (赴湯) said. “He can return to China if he believes it is fine to live without freedom, but he must not come to Taiwan and try to sabotage our freedom and democracy.”
“This incident showed that Chinese ‘little pinks’ are everywhere, trying to suppress contrary views,” Hong Kong artist Kacey Wong (黃國才) said. “But it is quite unacceptable to see that when the police arrived, the Chinese couple kept shouting that ‘Taiwan belongs to China.’ Taiwanese and Hong Kong exiles must not tolerate this kind of action.”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday said the couple contravened the Criminal Code’s sections on “offenses against freedom of another person.”
“Therefore, I demand Taipei police crack down on this violation. The couple should be prosecuted,” Wang said. “We must take action to deal with the delusion of some Chinese who believe they have jurisdiction over Taiwan.”
Separately, DPP Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) criticized what she called the police officers’ inaction and allowing the couple to just walk away.
“This would encourage Chinese visitors to ignore Taiwan’s police and legal authorities. It is wrong,” she said.
“These people made provocative attempts against Taiwan’s democracy and rule of law, and contravened the Criminal Code,” she said. “Taipei police must investigate this incident and prosecute the offenders.”
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