TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the Presidential Office on Saturday for a government protest.

The KMT-organized event was attended by Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) and other party leaders. Protesters chanted, “Oppose green (DPP) communism, fight dictatorship.”

At around 3 p.m., Taipei City Councilor Li Ming-hsien (李明賢) said police informed him 80,000 people were at the protest, per SETN. 

Later, Chu addressed the crowd and encouraged them to call on President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to step down. He said leaders who do not listen to voters' opinions should be removed from office. 

Campaigners gathering support for recalls against DPP legislators were also at the protest. Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) urged the DPP to end its recall campaigns against KMT legislators. 

Han added Taiwanese could not accept the tariffs recently announced by the US and wanted cross-strait peace. “We need to discuss with the US how to reduce tariffs sincerely, and we need to tell Beijing to stop military exercises,” he said.

TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and his party’s legislators were also present. People could be seen holding banners in support of the party’s former leader Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been detained since September as prosecutors investigate him for alleged corruption.

Chu announced the protest after prosecutors questioned the party’s Taipei branch leader, Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹). They suspect she committed recall fraud.

Huang was detained without visitation rights on Friday. She and three others are accused of fraudulently gathering signatures for recall campaigns against DPP Legislators Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) and Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶).

DPP supporters protested the CCP and KMT outside the Presidential Office last weekend. Protesters said there were “enemies in the legislature” and promoted recalls targeting KMT legislators.