People In Taiwan Held A Mass Die-In Protest For The 33,000 Palestinians Killed By Israel’s War On Gaza
We asked some of the demonstrators why it was important for them to take part in the protest for Palestine.
Earlier in March, more than 100 people in Taiwan staged a mass die-in protest to stand with the more than 33,000 Palestinians who have been killed by Israel’s war in Gaza and to demand a ceasefire.
We asked some of the demonstrators why it was important for them to take part in the protest for Palestine
21-year-old Jasmine said that she wants to support Palestine because the Taiwanese government is very pro-Israel, but she feels that Israel’s bombarding of Gaza and its actions are very inhumane, so citizens like her should come forward and raise their voices, if the government can’t do it.
“Before the war broke out last year, I actually didn’t have much of an understanding of the topic. I believe a lot of Taiwanese people are same like me. But the reason I came here is simple. You don’t have to fully understand complex topics in the Middle East. You just have to see what’s happening on the news, just have to see numerous lives that have been senselessly lost to feel that this is impossible,” Zhong Hao, another protester said.
He added that although Taiwanese people might not have been put in a historical framework as complex but everyone has had the experience of losing a loved one.
24-year-old Aurora Chang, an organizer with For Peace Taiwan, shared why she took part in the protest and said if Taiwanese people can support Uyghurs and Ukrainians, as they are also victims of ongoing genocide, the same solidarity needs to be extended to people of Palestine.
“And it’s even more important for us Taiwanese to do it because we of all people should understand the indignity, the pain of not being recognised by the international community and having our cultural and historical identity being co-opted and claimed by another power,” Chang added.
“As long as our government or national corporation are complicit in Israel’s war, it means that we are supporting it. It means that we are complicit in genocide," Doris, another demonstrator said, urging everyone to refuse to be complicit and take action.
“I don’t want to see in textbooks, 50 years, 100 years from now on that 21st century was the one that permitted genocide, despite how developed technology was. This is an issue that transcends time and space," 21-year-old Dong-ri said.
Dr. Hazem Almassry, a 38-year-old Palestinian man from Gaza living in Taiwan, said that he is happy to see a lot of people in Taiwan learning about the situation.
"They also show support and solidarity, especially when crisis hit of bombardment of our home and killing my mother by the Israeli army," he said.
He added that he has received lots of messages of support, asking him to consider Taiwan as his country and his family.
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Kassy Cho
