TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —  A coalition of left-wing political groups joined the Autumn Struggle march in Taipei on Sunday (Nov. 11), calling for peace in the Taiwan Strait and improved labor conditions. 

The Autumn Struggle march began in 1993, and has become an annual event that provides a platform for various progressive, socialist, and labor movements. Sunday’s march and rally drew around 200 people, representing 20 different left-wing political organizations, reported CNA. 

In the past, the rally has drawn thousands, but this year's turnout was notably low. Due to security concerns in previous years, police presence to monitor the gathering was significant.

The march convened in front of the National Library in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District around 1 p.m. before the crowd moved several blocks to a staging area on Ketagalan Boulevard near the Presidential Office Building. Although several people lit colored smokebombs, there were no major incidents of violence and the small crowd was safely dispersed by 5 p.m.   

The primary themes among speakers at Sunday’s rally were an anti-war message of peace in the Taiwan Strait, along with calls to address problems like inflation, stagnant wages, and lack of access to affordable housing, per UDN. Speakers called on Taiwan to put people’s livelihood and social reform before politics and warmongering.   

Some speakers also criticized Taiwan’s relationship with the U.S. and expressed dissatisfaction with Donald Trump’s recent reelection to the office of president in the U.S. Many said that Taiwan should not allow itself to be a pawn of the U.S. government, which they claimed will only intensify cross-strait conflict. 

One of the event's main organizer’s, Huang Te-bei (黃德北), told CNA that there is already too much conflict and uncertainty in the world. Huang said that with the threat of war looming, Taiwanese people must take a stand, and the country can not let itself became another Ukraine.