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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Protesters gathered in Taiwan’s capital on Thursday (March 7) to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and said the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is complicit in genocide.
The protest, organized by the Taiwan Action Front for Palestine, called for an immediate end to U.S military aid to Israel and expressed support for the humanitarian ceasefire resolution of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Protest organizers also called for an end to business cooperation between U.S. arms dealers, Israeli arms dealers, and Taiwanese companies.
A group of about 40 protesters were prevented from approaching AIT by police, and gathered roughly 250 meters away from the compound’s main entrance. There, organizers highlighted the self-immolation of U.S. air force member Aaron Bushnell, who said he would “no longer be complicit in genocide” before taking his own life outside the Israeli Embassy in the U.S. capital of Washington on Feb. 26.
A member of the organizing group, Lala Lau (劉璧嘉), told Taiwan News that many people in Taiwan are not aware their country is part of a “war machine.” “We think that it is so far away, it’s in the middle east and it has nothing to do with us,” she said.
“But what is really happening is the U.S. is acting as a war broker, connecting our reputable Taiwanese businesses with Israeli and American arms dealers. So, we are supporting the technology and everything needed to make weapons, which are very likely already in Gaza killing people.”
Member of organizing group Taiwan Action Front for Palestine Lala Lau speaks to protestors outside AIT on Thursday. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)
“A lot of people ask: When is Taiwan going to be attacked, when is the war going to start? Well the war has started now and we are complicit in it,” Lau said.
One protester was escorted by police to the entrance of AIT to lay a flower, which they were then required to remove. The protestor, who declined to provide their name, told Taiwan News that Taiwan is in a unique position, in that the military aid it receives from the U.S. is bundled in with aid for Israel.
“Taiwan also recently signed a congressional collaboration deal with Israel, so it could be very powerful for Taiwan to go in the direction of the other countries that are distancing themselves from Israel,” they said. They said Taiwan could differentiate themselves from Israel, by not allowing itself to be “lumped together” with the country.
The protester also noted Taiwan’s sanctions on Russian companies following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, and suggested similar measures could be imposed. “These are all things the government could be doing, and it’s not.”
“Taiwan has this image of ‘Taiwan can help,’ and as a beacon of democracy in Asia, but it’s not upholding that image by being silent amid this genocide,” they said.
Taiwan News put the protestors’ claim that the U.S. representative office was facilitating cooperation between U.S., Israeli, and Taiwanese arms dealers to AIT, and asked for a response to the calls for a ceasefire.
An AIT spokesperson referred to comments made by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday and Wednesday, in which the department said the “U.S. continues to support Israel’s right to ensure that the terrorist attacks of October 7th can never be repeated.”
A spokesperson for the State Department also called for urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza, and said the U.S. is in negotiations to secure a six-week ceasefire. When pressed on a timeframe for securing the ceasefire, the spokesperson said obstacles to achieving it “are not insurmountable.”
Following the protest, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it is closely monitoring negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and hoped they would be completed at an early date. Taiwan will also work with like-minded countries to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict, the ministry said.
Israel’s war in Gaza began after Hamas fighters killed over 1,000 Israelis in a surprise attack in October, and has so far claimed the lives of over 30,000 Palestinians. A further 20 have also died from starvation, according to local authorities’ estimates.
Despite the country’s own defense secretary describing the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “dire,” the U.S. has repeatedly blocked ceasefire motions in the U.N.
A protester holds a sign calling for a “free Palestine” at a ceasefire protest outside AIT on Thursday. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose country provides Israel with approximately US$3.3 billion (NT$104.12 billion) in military aid annually, said on Wednesday that more aid “must” get into Gaza. Biden’s comments came after aid groups said it has become nearly impossible to deliver supplies within most of Gaza because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military.
Gino, a volunteer for the Taiwan Action Front for Palestine and a Filipino student in Taiwan, told Taiwan News he attended the protest because he believes it is important to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and the deceased soldier Bushnell. “It’s important to seek accountability, especially for the ongoing humanitarian crisis which is happening in Gaza, which we ourselves are involuntarily a part of.”
“Taiwan, America, the Philippines — it is important to continue to pressure our governments to continue to pressure Israel to stop the bombardment of Gaza, to stop the inhumane blockade of essential food and supplies,” he said.
Parallel Government is a political action group critical of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and its spokesperson Wu Yung-ih (吳永毅) told Taiwan News that he believed the government could do more to pressure Israel to implement a ceasefire. Wu said Taiwan should follow the example of the Biden administration and call on Israel to exercise restraint.
Wu noted recent polling that showed over 42% of U.S. citizens believe Israel’s retaliation against Hamas’ October attack has gone too far.
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