Posts Tagged ‘TWAction1106’
Protest in Taiwan continues, named “Wild Strawberry Movement”
Originally posted in free speech in Taiwan
Protest in Taiwan continues, named “Wild Strawberry Movement”
(Alice Ju, Taiwanese student)
The protest initiated by professors and students in Taiwan has been longer than 96 hours, and protesters voted to name the protest as Wild Strawberry Movement on Nov. 9.
Strawberry is a symbol that mainstream media often used to satire young people who was born in 1980s by calling them “group of strawberry”. Born at the economic rising age, this generation is thought less painstaking than their parents and with less anti-pressure ability, just as strawberry couldn’t be pressed anymore. Students choose “Wild Strawberry” to counteract the stigmatization imposed by media.
This movement is the biggest student movement after the Wild Lily student movement in 1990. Both movements are launched by students, and are held in the same place, Liberty Square, which used to be Memorial Square before 2008. In Wild Lily student movement students demonstrated for democratic reform and now students are seeking the freedom of assembly and parade.
Wild Lily student movement is regarded as a major event in the evolution of democratic in Taiwan. They sought direct elections for president and vice president, which came true in 1996, after six years of the protest.
A lot of the demonstrators are now members of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the opposite party, including the protest leader of the Wild Strawberry movement, so some people doubt the movement was controlled by DPP.
Action Statement from the “Wild Strawberry Movement”
Originally posted in free speech in Taiwan
Action Statement from the “Wild Strawberry Movement”
Movement Origins
We are a group of university professors, students, cultural workers, and
citizens who are concerned about Taiwan’s current state of disorder and
future development. Over the past few days, we have seen numerous
instances of police overreaction and suppression, which have caused injury
to citizens exercising their right to free speech. Through reports in the
media, we have come to realize the seriousness of the current situation. It is
no longer a technical question of excessive law enforcement tactics, nor is it
simply a partisan issue between supporters of various political parties. This
is a proliferation of state sponsored violence that is challenging and
attacking civil society. Our concern over this state of affairs led us to
peacefully protest at the gates of the Executive Yuan, beginning at 11AM on
November 6. At 4PM on November 7, we were dispersed by the police. We
have since regrouped at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall , where we plan to
engage in a long term struggle.
Oppose Police Overreaction and the Suppression of Human Rights by the
Unconstitutional Assembly and Parade Law
Inappropriate acts taken by police in recent days include the following:
Forcibly shutting down major highways. Prohibiting citizens from waving the
national flag in public. Prohibiting citizens from stating that “Taiwan does
not belong to China” in public. Confiscating the personal property of
citizens, such as flags and signs with slogans. Forcibly detaining citizens
filming areas near the Grand Hotel with handheld camcorders, without
following due process. Preventing citizens from flying balloons protesting
toxic Chinese food products. Forcibly detaining citizens on a moped carrying
a Tibetan flag. Ordering the closure of a music store playing Taiwanese
music. The police have tried to justify these repressive actions by claiming
violations of the Assembly and Parade Law, the Social Order Maintenance
Law, and invoking the Regulations on Police Duties, while ignoring the fact
that their actions are in violation of the Constitution, Civil Law, and other
higher level laws guaranteeing the peoples’ free speech and property rights.
On the Importance of Personal Freedom
We believe in the importance of freedom. Imagine for a moment what
would have resulted had the government ordered the police to crack down
on the 2007 Red Shirt demonstration in front of the Presidential Office. The
citizens of Taiwan would not have had the opportunity to listen to other
opinions. It was only because they were not dispersed that different voices
could be heard. Only by being exposed to numerous different viewpoints,
can we learn how to determine for ourselves the quality of different
opinions. This is an essential requirement for a functioning civil society, and
illustrates the importance of free speech.
It is because free speech is so important that its protection is enshrined in
the Constitution. Other laws must support the Constitution, facilitating its
execution and specifying its limits. Despite this, the Assembly and Parade
Law – left over from the authoritarian days of martial law, gravely damages
the right to free speech. By requiring protesting citizens to acquire a permit
for a lawful demonstration, rather than simply notifying the government
beforehand, it allows protests to be declared illegal before they even take
place. Its excessive provisions for restricted areas off limits to protesters,
allows governmental organs to insulate themselves from being challenged by
public opinion. By granting the police excessive powers, it allows the police
to take the place of judges in a court of law.
Concrete Demands
Amend the Assembly and Parade Law
We provide the following suggestions for revising the Assembly and Parade
Law: (1) Change the current permit system to a notification system. The
government has no right to examine the peoples’ motivations beforehand,
and declare unfavorable demonstrations to be illegal before they even take
place; (2) Reexamine the current provisions for restricted areas.
Demonstrations and marches allow unarmed citizens without any other
means to make their grievances known and petition for redress. The current
restricted areas do not allow the people to challenge governmental
agencies; (3) Clarify permissible actions by the police in enforcing the law.
Do not grant a blank check for the police to exercise whatever methods they
see fit; (4) Make the new law an administrative law, rather then penal law.
Compared to other laws, the current Assembly and Parade Law calls for
heavier punishment for the same illegal actions, violating the principle of
proportionality.
Punish Police Personnel Engaging in Inappropriate Behavior
The recent clashes between the people and the police have left us with a
great sense of sorrow. We have been asked why we have not stood out to
condemn violent mob behavior. To this, we provide the following response:
We are determined to protect and support the people in freely expressing
their opinions, and condemn any and all acts of violence, be they from the
people or the police. From the many events of the past few days, we have
seen that while violent acts on the part of the people can be regulated by
law, law enforcement agencies can also abuse their power to justify
unlimited brutality without any appropriate restriction or regulation. It is
because of this that we condemn the government and the police for
increasingly ignoring the law, and for inappropriate use of force to violently
suppress the rights of the people to freely express their views. We request
that a full investigation be carried out to identify police officers who abused
their authority, and that appropriate punitive measures be taken.
Additionally, the directors of the police and national security agencies who
are ultimately responsible must step down.
President Ma must Apologize
The use of force by police is a symbol of state sponsored violence, and
should only be used when absolutely necessary to safeguard the rights of the
people to life, liberty, and property. Its use should never be employed
without the utmost care. However, police agencies are only passive
mechanisms that execute the orders issued to them. The positions and
directives of the government, as well as the ruling party, will directly
impact how rank and file police officers go about their duties. We condemn
the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou for trampling on the spirit of
freedom and democracy that are fundamental to the foundation of our
nation, and demand that he apologize.
Creating a movement of Civil Disobedience
We are a movement of civil disobedience initiated by students, and with
students as our core. When the government invokes the unconstitutional
Assembly and Parade Law, or abuses lawful governmental authority,
subsequent governmental actions are illegitimate. The people have a right
to refuse to obey illegitimate governmental actions. We hope that all people
who agree with our statement will join us in this movement to demand that
President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan apologize to all
citizens; that National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun and
National Security Bureau Director Tsai Chao-ming step down; and that the
Legislative Yuan immediately amend the Assembly and Parade Law so that it
does not threaten the rights of the people.
(Translated by Loren Chang,海天)
反集會遊行法中日文聲明稿 (Statement in Japanese)
Originally posted in blog 1106
這是由網友擁抱似水年華所翻譯的反集會遊行法中日文聲明稿，感謝！
11月3日から、中国海峡両岸関係協会(ARATS)の代表団が台湾を訪問し、様々な協定を台湾政府と結び始め、警察は「平和維持」を名目に、平和的に反対している人々に対し頻繁に粗暴な行為を行いしました。これらの行為には任意の尋問、器物損壊、禁止、逮捕、拘留がなされました。警察の蛮行の犠牲者の大部分が、ARATS委員長陳雲林（チェン・ユンリン）に近づいたわけではなく、単に制限区域を通行したり、少し立ち止まって写真を撮っただけでした。
メディアによる報道を通して、私たちは現在の状況の深刻さを痛感しています。それはもう過度の治安維持の技術的な問題ではなく、そして単なる異なる支持政党に関する問題でもなく、これは忌々しい国家権力の暴走と、市民社会に対する重大な挑戦であり侵犯です。まるで戒厳時代に戻ったように、自由人権を無視、民主的価値を抑えこうもうとしている。これについては与党の立法者さえ最も権威のある劉行政院長（行政府長官＝首相）に責任を追及しているが、首相は言を左右にして、責任を巧みに回避しています。私たちは、この返答に非常に怒っており、気絶させられるほどの恥辱を感じており非常な不安を感じています。
私たちがどうしても聞かなければならないことは、中台間の経済交流を強化するために、わが国が中国と同じレベルの抑圧的な独裁的支配と、自由と民主主義の水準を引き下げることが必要なのか？
と言うことです。
ほんの僅かな間で、台湾国民がようやく手に入れた民主的で自由な体制は、警察国家的で、恐怖と鎮圧の雰囲気にほとんど崩されてしまいした。警察国家のようなバリケードの裏で、台湾政府は自らの「歴史的な儀式」に陶酔し、様々な贈答などの自己満足に溺れています。そこでは憲法に保障された国民の「言論の自由」と「行動の権利」が捨てられると言うよりも、完全に忘れられてしまったようです。
彼らの主な行動規範が違憲であるため、カメラの前に立つ警察官も堂々と順法よりも上司の指示に従っています。警察官は元々国民を守る公僕であるべきなのに、彼らは今の政府から出された粗暴な要求によって、意見を言う一般の人々を規制し、罰する暴漢となりました。私たちは上司の命令に従う警察官を非難するつもりは全くないですし、むしろ私たちは政府に対して権威を乱用している政治責任を真剣に追及したいのです。
私たちは（政治的な意図で集められたのではなく）単なる台湾の「現状の混乱」と「今後の発展」に関して心配している大学教授、学生、文化的な労働者と市民です。どんな政党や市民団体からも少しもサポートや動員をされることなく、 2008年11月6日（木）午前11時（台湾時間）に、私たちの苦痛と抗議を象徴する黒い服とマスクで行政院前に集合し、手に手を繋ぎ平和的に、私たちの主張が受けられるまで座る決意をしております。
私たちの要求は：
一、馬英九総統（大統領）と劉兆玄行政院院長（首相）は公式に国民に謝罪をすること。
二、王卓鈞警政署長（警察署長）と蔡朝明国安局長（国家公安委員長）はすぐ辞職すること。
三、立法院（議会）は早急に国民の権利としての「集会およびデモに関する法律」を改善すること。
以上
聯絡人：李明璁（台大社會系助理教授；Mobile：0972-102-502）
共同發起人：
李明璁（臺灣大學社會學系助理教授）
藍佩嘉（臺灣大學社會學系副教授）
劉華真（臺灣大學社會學系助理教授）
范 雲（臺灣大學社會學系助理教授）
洪貞玲（臺灣大學新聞學所助理教授）
何東洪（輔仁大學心理學系助理教授）
管中祥（中正大學傳播學系助理教授）
張鐵志（作家，哥倫比亞大學政治學博士後選人）
陳育青（紀錄片工作者）
林世煜（文化工作者）
胡慧玲（陳文成紀念基金會執行長）
李昀真（臺大社會系二年級學生）
張勝涵（臺大政治系二年級學生）
吳沛憶（臺大政治系四年級學生）
陳柏屼（臺大社會系三年級學生）
陳家慶（臺大法律系三年級學生）
余崇任（臺大社會系三年級學生）
彭維昭（臺大外文系四年級學生）
楊緬因（臺大人類系二年級學生）
李東諺（政大臺史所一年級學生）
王聖芬（臺大中文系四年級學生）
李冠和（臺大政治系四年級學生）
張之豪（市民）
許維德(交大人文社會學系助理教授)
林秀幸(交大人文社會學系助理教授)
柯朝欽(交大人文社會學系助理教授)
林秀珊(交大人文社會學系研究助理)
吳宗信(交大機械系教授)
Speak Up!(From 吳怡旻 Carolyn Wu’s blog)
Originally posted in Carolyn Wu’s blog
Dear Whom It May Concern,
I’ve been in a terrible mood these two days. I watched the tv up to 10 hours a day reluctantly. Yes! I can just turn it off but i left it be on. I know I can keep silence and do nothing and…just let the time passes and just let it go and let it be. But I don’t want, and I cannot betray my faith.
During the summer session that I attended which talked about English literature. All that we talked about in classes was that the core thought of knights in middle century of Britain– the faith in his land, his lord and his country if there is one. Many people consider knights’ faith lies in their gentle attitude toward ladies; however, it’s only half way to the right answer. The core value for a knight to fight against monsters (resemblance of anti-Jesus religions, crown competitors and so on) was the faith to contribute their strength, spirit and their body to his country by glorious battles. They are not perfect, even far away from perfection comparing with strong monsters, like Sir Gawayne in the novel. Protesting people recently unfairly treated by police reminded me of Sir Gawayne and his brave behavior. He bore a mission that is to protect a lady from faraway nation on the way to her home which was occupied by a great monster. He was defeated to nearly death but Faith, Moral and Hope led him to a glorious house to heal his wounds and finally got the strengh to beat the biggest monster in the end. Don’t you think those people who were their to speak out “Taiwan is my country!”, “No Communism invasion!” and “No police violence!” are really brave ones who bore the risk to be arrested and violently retreat. What they wanted was very similar to their earlier generation–FREEDOM.
I could not believe my eyes everytime i turn on my tv. I could not believe the land that I have lived for 23 years become a place to be ruined by police and politicians. I could not take the visit of our potential barrel officer worths our welcome let alone the exagerating protection. But what I cannot take upmost is the way they treat OUR PEOPLE who was supposed to be OUR. They climbed upon protesters’ shoulders, protesters’ bellies to protesters’ head sin order to get their power shown and their political rightness seen by their boss and bosses if chinese ones were included.
Those Tibet people who seek for political heritages in Taiwan are another story to tell my sympathy and sorry for their embarrassing situation now. I think if we don’t speak up for them today, one day, which might be very fast, when we need political heritage from another free country in the world, we will not get any because the way we treat those Tibet people this unfair way.
My grandpa used to tell me the effort and fight in his generation to reach democracy, but i think he forgot to remind me the fragilty democracy itself. He also forgot to tell me if neccesary, i need to demonstrate, I need speak up and i need to do anything possible to unlock those blocks. The reason he forgot to tell me was because he never imagined this could ever happen again in this beautiful island.
I’m sorry, grandpa. It happens and still happening.
So, SPEAK UP, TAIWANESE! For our land, our country our people and our Grandparents! They are too matured to go on the street and we should make them comfort as a feedback to their suffer during past 60 years.
I wanna speak up and I know you’re too!
So, speak up! Don’t be afraid!
Speak up! Don’t hesitate!
Speak up! We are all together!
Speak up! for our continuous living in this land!
Please speak up and be at my side!
(Carolyn Wu, Taiwanese)
Taiwanese Students are using mobile devices to broadcast their protest.
Students are broadcasting the protest on Live Yahoo. (Photo:chitsaou,student)
Taiwanese university students have been protesting for freedom of speech and human rights in Taipei since Nov. 6, capital of Taiwan. Students don’t want the protest be distorted by the mainstream media, so they use their own laptop and digital cameras to broadcast the protest on yahoo, attracting thousands internet users.
The broadcast was set up for those who can’t attend the protest to understand what is happening, and also let their friends know that they are safe. The other concern is that the protest might be tagged as political activity or violence by mainstream media, so students tried to broadcast the real scene by themselves.
In order to let more people understand the protest, students report the scene for audience in Mandarin, Hakka, and English. They also interview students and professors.
Owing to the visit of there are several protests in Taipei now, which are hold by different groups. The biggest one belongs to Democratic Progress Party, the opposite party, which leads several protests in more radical methods which is different from the students’ peace method. Students know that mainstream media might link their protest with DPP, so they try to document their protest in advance.
Watch their boadcast here.
(Alice Ju, Student at Universtity of Texas at Austin)
Campaigning Against Police Violence! Safeguarding Freedom and Human Rights!
The scene in front of the Executive Yuan On November 6th was indeed one to behold. Over 400 students and professors from different universities, gathered to show their condemnation of inappropriate police conducts and the violation of freedom of speech which has led to civilian injury in recent events. Their request was simple: 1. Demand a formal apology from President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan for abusing human rights. 2. Urge the Director-General of the National Police Agency, Wang Cho-chiun and the head of the National Security Bureau, Tsai Chao-ming, to stand down. 3. Request an immediate amendment of the Mass Gathering and Demonstration Act. The students were spontaneous to form Disciplinary Patrol Units to maintain order and tranquility, expressing their defiance through peaceful serene protest. In order to sustain a clear focus on their cause, emblems and logos of political parties were prohibited. The silent protest began at 11:00am, when 200 students gathered in front of the Executive Yuan. By 1:00pm their numbers had increased to over 400. Many professors also turned up to show their support. The police raised warning signs on four separate occasions, and someone opted to move the whole processions to locations registered by the DPP, however, the offer was unanimously turned down. The event was initiated by a group of students and professors, and through the internet expressed their plea of: "Protest against police violence! Safeguard freedom and human rights!". Originally expecting around 50 participants, news of the event spread like wildfire amongst the academic community, and by the next day over 400 showed up to help support the cause. Apart from university students from all over Taiwan, Professors Yun Fan, Hwa-Jen Liu, Pei-Chia Lan from the Department of Sociology at National Taiwan University (NTU), and Assistant Professor Chen-Ling Hung from the Graduate Institute of Journalism (NTU), Professor Guo Pei-Yi from the Institute of Ethnology (Academia Sinica ), Professor Wu Rwei-ren from the Institute of Taiwan History (Academia Sinica), Professor Wu Jieh-min from the Graduate Institute of Sociology (Tsing-Hua University), former Assistant Professor Yeh Chi-Chen from the Department of Sociology (NTU), Assistant Professor Huang Ho-Min from the Department of Sociology (Chengchi University) were also present on scene. In addition to the encouragement and support given by the professors for the student’s cause, many students also expressed their deep concerns of the long term crisis of police using the Mass Gathering and Demonstration Act as an excuse to disband campaigners through force and even illegal detainment, which is a serious breach of the freedom of speech. Master's Degree 2nd year student, Huang Gia-Pin of Graduate School for Social Transformation Studies (Shih Hsin University) commented: "In the past few decades, Taiwan's democracy and human rights have been relatively progressing in Asia, however, in the few days that Chen Yun-lin visited Taiwan, we see the accumulated democratic accomplishments being eroded away by legislative units who turn a blind eye when it comes to human rights.” All the important policies throughout the silent protest, were collectively decided by all the participants on scene, implementing direct democracy. The Executive Yuan was only willing to send a second group negotiator to 'receive' the student representatives, which was perceived by the students as a lack of sincerity, a weak attempt by the authorities to pacify the situation. The students reinstated their demand of "an apology from Ma and Liu", "the relieve from office of Director General of the NPA, and the head of the National Security Bureau", and "an immediate amendment of the Mass Gathering and Demonstration Act". As the Executive Yuan refused to formally receive the student’s pleas, the students decided to campaign overnight and prepare for a long-term approach. Even if the demonstration were to be dispersed through force, the students will surely regroup, "without a formal answer, we will not leave". (Translated by fallenseraph,阿翔) Visit the original website(苦勞網) here 十一月六日，在行政院大門前聚集將近四百名來自各校的大學生以及教授，不滿近日來警 察不當執法、侵害言論自由，導致合法集會的民眾受傷，要求「馬英九總統、劉兆玄院長 道歉」、「警政署長、國安局長下台」和「立即修正集遊惡法」。現場學生為了維持主體 性與訴求的明確，組成糾察隊維持秩序，環繞靜坐人群，並謝絕政黨旗幟入場。 現場學生為了維持主體性與訴求的明確，組成糾察隊維持秩序，環繞靜坐人群，並謝絕政 黨旗幟入場。 今早十一點，兩百名學生來到行政院門口前靜坐，直到下午一點前來聲援的學生陸續增加 至四百多名，也有多位教授前來支持學生的行動。過程中面臨警方四度舉牌，有人提議移 師至民進黨合法申請的場地，但遭到在場同學一致否決。 除了教授們表達支持學生與捍衛言論自由的訴求外，同學們也紛紛發言表示，長期來警方 以集會遊行法為由，動輒強制驅離甚至違法拘留抗議者，嚴重侵害言論自由。世新社會發 展研究所碩士二年級黃佳平同學表示：「過去幾十年來，台灣的民主與人權在亞洲相對地 進步，但是在陳雲林來台的這幾天內，我們看到這些累積下來的民主成果，卻因為行政單 位對於人權的漠視，而遭到破壞。」 由一群大學教授和同學共同發起，透過網路串聯，以「抗議警察暴力！捍衛自由人權！」 為訴求：原預估僅有五十人參加，但一夜之間經過輾轉相傳，竟有四百多人到場靜坐。除 了來自全台各地的學生外，尚有台大社會系范雲教授、劉華真教授、藍佩嘉教授、台大新 聞所助理教授洪貞玲、中研院民族所郭佩宜教授、中研院台灣史研究所吳叡人教授、清華 大學社會所吳介民教授、台大社會系前教授葉啟政、政大社會系助理教授黃厚銘等學者， 到場聲援。 在院方不願正面回應學生訴求下，學生們決議將進行守夜並長期抗戰，絕不妥協； 即便遭到強制驅離，也會再度集結，「不達訴求，絕不解散」。 活動過程中所有的重要決策，都以在場參與者進行小組討論，落實直接民主，當行政院院 方表示僅願意以第二組參議「接見」學生代表，現場同學一致認為院方派遣層級過低的官 員出面，只想安撫學生，缺乏誠意，因此堅持原本訴求：「馬、劉道歉」、「警政署長、 國安局長下台」和「立即修正集遊惡法」。
Protest police brutality! Defend freedom and human rights!(Sit-in Activity Statement)
Starting on November 3, with the visit of representatives from China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) to sign various agreements with our government , police officers have engaged in numerous abusive acts against peaceful protestors from various dissenting groups, under the guise of "keeping the peace". These acts have included arbitrary searches and prohibitions, seizure and destruction of property, physical assault, dispersion, and even arrest and detention. The vast majority of the victims of this police brutality were nowhere near ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin, and were simply passing, standing, or photographing various areas when they were victimized. Through reports in the media, we have come to realize the seriousness of the current situation. It is no longer a technical question of excessive law enforcement tactics, nor is it simply a partisan issue between supporters of various political parties. This is a proliferation of state sponsored violence that is provoking and attacking civil society. All these oppressive acts, which ignore human rights and democratic values are reminiscent of martial law. Even legislators from the ruling party have expressed concern over this issue to the Executive Yuan, only to see the chief authority - Premier Liu, dodge responsibility while providing only the flimsiest of excuses. We are stunned and outraged by this response, as well as ashamed and increasingly uneasy. We must ask: Does increasing cross-Strait exchange require Taiwan to lower its standards of freedom and democracy, in order to achieve the same level of repressive authoritarian rule that China has? In only a few short days, the liberal democracy that the people of Taiwan have fought so hard for has nearly collapsed amid massive police presence in the city, and the atmosphere of fear and repression that it brings. Behind its police state-like barricades, our government remains blinded by its delusions of a "meeting of historic proportions", and indulge itself in its receptions and banquets. Through this all, the peoples' constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of speech and movement have been cast aside, and even forgotten. As many of their actions are unconstitutional, it is not surprising that not a single police officer before the cameras has been able to definitively state what law empowers them to carry out the orders issued to them by their superiors. Police officers are supposed to be civil servants charged with protecting the people. Yet under the outrageous requests issued from above, they have become thugs restricting and punishing the people for expressing their opinions. We have no intention of blaming individual police officers who can only obey orders issued by their superiors. Rather, we solemnly demand that the highest authorities in the government bear the largest share of political responsibility for these abuses. We are simply a group of university professors, students, cultural workers, and citizens who are concerned about Taiwan's current state of disorder and future development. At 11AM on November 6, without any support or mobilization from any political party or civic group, we will assemble at the gate of the Executive Yuan in black clothes and face masks symbolizing our painful protest, and will join hands sitting in civil disobedience until our requests are met. Our requests include: President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan must publicly apologize to all citizens. National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun and National Security Bureau Director Tsai Chao-ming must step down. The Legislative Yuan must revise the Parade and Assembly Law, which currently restricts the rights of the people.(Translated by Loren Chang, 海天) 從11月3日開始，中國海協會代表團來臺與政府簽署各項協定，同時在臺北各處，就陸續 出現警方藉「維安」之名，對各類以和平方式表達不同意見者，進行粗暴的盤查、損毀、 沒收、禁制、拉扯、驅離甚至拘捕。絕大多數遭致警察暴力相向的民眾，根本不曾靠近陳 雲林人身，有的市民甚至只是路過、停留或單純拍攝記錄，即遭受上述對待。 透過媒體畫面傳送，我們驚覺事態嚴重 這已經不是維安有否過當的技術問題、更不只是政黨認同選擇的問題，而是暴力化的國家 公權，對市民社會的嚴重挑釁和侵犯。所有彷彿戒嚴、罔顧自由人權與民主價值的管控鎮 壓，連執政黨的國會議員都質問行政院長；卻只見身為最高責任主管的劉揆，仍在輕佻地 詭辯和推責。實在令人既錯愕憤怒，又深感羞辱和不安。 我們不禁要問：難道要強化兩岸經貿交流，也必須透過降低臺灣的民主自由程度、以達成 與中國同樣極權統治的水準嗎？ 才不過短短幾天，臺灣人民好不容易匍匐建立的民主自由體制，在滿城的警力、威嚇的氛 圍與強勢的防堵中，幾近崩解。我們政府，在如同警察國家的武裝保護裡，自我陶醉於「 歷史性儀式」的想像、與酒酣耳熱的輪番大宴中。於此，憲法所保障人民的自由言論與行 動權利，完全地被擱置、甚至忘卻。 因為多數的強勢作為根本違憲違法，無怪乎鏡頭前沒有一個警察能理直氣壯說出，他們根 據何種「法律」，執行這般上級交待的勤務。警察原是保護人民的公僕，如今在這政府由 上而下的嚴峻要求中，竟競相成了限制與懲罰人民表達意見的打手。我們無意歸咎個別只 能服從上命的員警，相對的，我們嚴正要求下達此一惡令的政府高層，必須負起最大的政 治責任。 我們只是一群憂心臺灣混亂現況與未來發展的大學教授、學生、文化工作者和市民，在沒 有任何政黨與團體動員及奧援的前提下，十一月六日（四）上午十一點，將自發性地集結 於行政院大門前，以「著黑衣、戴口罩」作為沈痛抗議的象徵，並牽手靜坐至訴求達成為 止。我們的訴求是： 一、 馬英九總統和行政院長劉兆玄必須公開向國人道歉。 二、 警政署長王卓鈞、國安局長蔡朝明，應立刻下臺。 三、 立法院應儘速修改限縮人民權利的「集會遊行法」。
Free Speech In Taiwan 