TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Supporters of a nascent protest group called the Bluebird Movement have raised millions in a couple of hours to post an advertisement in New York's Times Square to garner international support for Taiwan's democracy. 

The Keep Taiwan Free organization, initiated by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York (TACGNY), went live with its first donation project around midnight on Thursday (Pacific Time). The goal to raise NT$2.6 million (US$80,000) and display a Times Square billboard ad on June 4, was surpassed within two hours, according to Taiwanese digital creator Katie Hsieh.

The group's stated goals are to increase the visibility of the Bluebird Movement and reach its fundraising target by June 4 to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Taiwan. Through the advertisement, the group also seeks to draw international attention to Taiwan's people as they “fight to keep their democratic way of life.”

The organizers chose June 4 because it marks the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. On that date, the group will broadcast a 30-second video advertisement on a major billboard in Times Square every five minutes for 24 hours.

The group said action is urgent as the Bluebird Movement is at a “critical juncture” and needs donations to “ensure that the message of freedom, hope, and resilience is heard around the world.” According to the organizers, this advertisement will “showcase the Taiwanese people's commitment to defending democracy and highlight how the world would benefit from a progressive democracy in East Asia.”

According to the organizers, the Bluebird Movement is a protest movement that started outside the Legislative Yuan in response to “an unconstitutional bill that expands the parliament's authority beyond legislative powers with no checks or balances.” 

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-Yu (王定宇) said the name of the movement was designed to counter algorithms. Outside the Legislative Yuan is Qingdao East Road, which is named after the city of Qingdao in China, but translated reads as “Blue Island East Road” (青島東路). 

Wang said that whenever "Qingdao East" was mentioned online, algorithms would decrease the visibility of the term. To counteract this, organizers changed the name of the rally to "Bluebird East" (青鳥東) by keeping the Mandarin character for “blue” but changing the character “island” to “bird," and the name morphed into Bluebird Movement (青鳥行動).