TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Around 300 protesters marched through Taipei’s Ximen District on Sunday (Oct. 13) in support of Palestine, condemning what they described as the collapse of the international rules-based order and a "genocide" committed by Israel against the people of Gaza.
The march began at Nishi Honganji Square, looped around Ximen's walking street, and ended outside MRT Ximen Station. There, protesters from diverse backgrounds delivered speeches calling for a "free Palestine."
Representatives from Taiwan’s Muslim community, labor and human rights groups, leftists, union members, local musicians, and members of the local and foreign community criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leading the conflict and US President Joe Biden for supplying arms to sustain it. Protesters also condemned Taiwan's government for strengthening ties with Israel amid the war.
The demonstration concluded with a "die-in," drawing attention to the over 42,010 Palestinians killed since last October. Israel’s recent offensive in Gaza was launched in response to a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which the militants ambushed and killed an estimated 1,200 people in the country in a dawn raid.
One man holding an Israeli flag in counter-protest appeared as demonstrators gathered, but police led him away without incident.
The protest was organized by the Taiwan Alliance for a Free Palestine. Its spokesperson Yang Kang (陽剛) echoed a Friday (Oct. 11) statement from United Nations human rights experts, describing the year of war in Gaza. Yang said Israel’s destruction of Palestinian territory and people illustrates the breakdown of the international order, describing the situation as "genocide."
Organizers also highlighted how the September pager bombings in Lebanon had heightened concerns that the Middle East conflict could be drawing closer to Taiwan. They expressed worry that the conflict in the region was expanding beyond Palestine and Israel, with no signs of abating.
A Thursday (Oct. 10) report from a UN Human Rights Council commission found that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza and conducted extermination "with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities." Taiwan Obasang Political Equality Party Secretary-General Ho Yu-jung (何語蓉) said her party joined Sunday's protest because of these "clear violations" of international law.
The Obasang Party was the sole political party represented at the demonstration. Formed in 2019, the party stood candidates in the 2024 elections but failed to win any seats.
Relating the situation to her party’s children-first approach, Ho said that if she knew violence was happening in the homes of friends or family, she would not tolerate it. For this reason, Ho said that although Taiwan faces geopolitical risks and needs international allies to mitigate them, the Obasang Party cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza.
Sunday’s protest in Taiwan followed global pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations marking Oct. 7, one year since the Hamas attacks and the beginning of the ongoing conflict.
