Wild Strawberry student movement
Encyclopedia
The Wild Strawberry student movement (Traditional Chinese: 野草莓運動; Simplified Chinese: 野草莓运动; pinyin
: Yě cǎoméi yùndòng) is a protest movement in Taiwan
begun on November 6, 2008 after the visit of China's ARATS
chairman Chen Yunlin
to the island. Police actions on protests aimed at Chen suppressed the display of Taiwan's national flag
and the playing of Taiwanese songs. This prompted a group of 400 students in Taipei
, Taiwan
to begin a sit-in
in front of the Executive Yuan
in protest of Taiwan's Parade and Assembly Law (集會遊行法).
of 1990, which led to vast political reforms and Taiwan's first general democratic elections
. The word strawberry makes ironic use of the term "strawberry generation
", a description of Taiwan's youth employed pejoratively by their elders to portray the newest generation as "soft", lacking strength of character and political convictions.
Sit-ins began with students in Taipei in front of the Executive Yuan. On November 7, 2008, police began removing protesters from the scene and taking them to separate locations around the city. Having made a regrouping plan earlier, the students reconvened at Liberty Square
in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
.
Following the lead of the students in Taipei, six other sit-in protests sprang up around Taiwan:
to Taiwan. The original protesters in Taipei issued a statement with the following demands:
Government responses to the Wild Strawberry petition included these actions:
The amended version of the law remained controversial at the time of drafting in May 2009. Proposed changes fell short of student demands for a law in Taiwan that resembles assembly laws in European Union
nations and the United States that give priority to constitutional guarantees of rights to peaceful assembly and free speech. While the proposed amendments would make the new law generally more permissive than one crafted during the martial law period, proposals continued to give state police substantial powers of veto over the content and location of citizen rallies.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Yě cǎoméi yùndòng) is a protest movement in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
begun on November 6, 2008 after the visit of China's ARATS
Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits
The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits is an organization set up by the People's Republic of China for handling technical or business matters with the Republic of China ....
chairman Chen Yunlin
Chen Yunlin
Chen Yunlin is the current chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits , the body responsible for negotiations with Taiwan in the People's Republic of China.-Biography:...
to the island. Police actions on protests aimed at Chen suppressed the display of Taiwan's national flag
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
and the playing of Taiwanese songs. This prompted a group of 400 students in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
to begin a sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
in front of the Executive Yuan
Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
in protest of Taiwan's Parade and Assembly Law (集會遊行法).
Background
The name chosen by the students for their initiative, "Wild Strawberry", makes a pair of references. The word wild recalls the Wild Lily student movementWild Lily student movement
Taiwan's Wild Lily student movement or March student movement was a six-day student demonstration in 1990 for democratic reform. The sit-in at Memorial Square in Taipei, initiated by a few students from National Taiwan University, soon drew the participation of over 300,000 demonstrators...
of 1990, which led to vast political reforms and Taiwan's first general democratic elections
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. The word strawberry makes ironic use of the term "strawberry generation
Strawberry generation
Strawberry generation is a Chinese language neologism for Taiwanese people born between 1981 and 1991 who "bruise easily" like strawberries -- meaning they can't withstand social pressure or work hard like their parents' generation; the term refers to people who are insubordinate, spoiled, ...
", a description of Taiwan's youth employed pejoratively by their elders to portray the newest generation as "soft", lacking strength of character and political convictions.
Demonstrations
Liberty Square (Taipei)
Liberty Square is a public plaza covering over 240,000 square meters in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan.- Overview :...
in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attractions erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei, Republic of China ....
.
Following the lead of the students in Taipei, six other sit-in protests sprang up around Taiwan:
- KaohsiungKaohsiungKaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
, November 7 - TainanTainanTainan City is a city in southern Taiwan. It is the fifth largest after New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Taipei. It was formerly a provincial city, and in 2010, the provincial city merged with the adjacent Tainan County to form a single special municipality. Tainan faces the Taiwan Strait in...
, November 7 - TaichungTaichung-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
, November 9 - Changhua, November 9
- HsinchuHsinchuHsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
, November 10 - ChiayiChiayi-Administration:-City attractions:*Chiayi Park*Sun Shooting Tower *Lantan *Historic Archives Building of Chiayi City*University of Chiayi*Chiayi Museum...
, November 12
Student demands and government responses
The student-led sit-in protests were conducted in response to incidents of police violence and abuse of power during the visit of Chen YunlinChen Yunlin
Chen Yunlin is the current chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits , the body responsible for negotiations with Taiwan in the People's Republic of China.-Biography:...
to Taiwan. The original protesters in Taipei issued a statement with the following demands:
- A public apology by President Ma Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
(KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
) and Premier Liu Chao-shiuanLiu Chao-shiuanLiu Chao-shiuan is a Taiwanese educator and politician. He is a former president of the National Tsing Hua University and Soochow University and a former Premier of the Republic of China.-Biography:...
for police misconduct. - The immediate resignations of National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) and National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明).
- An immediate review and amendment of the Assembly and Parade Law to ensure the right of peaceful assembly and expression.
Government responses to the Wild Strawberry petition included these actions:
- On November 11, 2008, Premier Liu made a statement to the Liberty TimesLiberty TimesThe Liberty Times is a newspaper published in Republic of China in Traditional Chinese. Founded by Lin Rong-San, it is published by the Liberty Times Group, which also publishes the English language newspaper the Taipei Times...
as saying, "I will not apologize. With this kind of thing, you just wait one or two days and it will pass." - President Ma Ying-jeou addressed the students on November 13, 2008, saying that, while he believed there was room for improvement in Wang Cho-chiun and Tsai Chao-ming's handling of public assembly issues, he saw no reason for them to step down.
- On December 11, 2008, Wild Strawberry and Tibetan demonstrators at Liberty SquareLiberty SquareLiberty Square is one of seven "themed lands" and is exclusive to the Magic Kingdom, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Themed after colonial America, replicas of both the Liberty Bell and Liberty Tree can be seen here. One of the most popular attractions in...
were forced by police to leave the site for failure to comply with the existing Assembly and Parade Law. - On December 24, 2008, an amended version of the Assembly and Parade Act passed its initial review at the legislature's Internal Administration Committee.
The amended version of the law remained controversial at the time of drafting in May 2009. Proposed changes fell short of student demands for a law in Taiwan that resembles assembly laws in European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
nations and the United States that give priority to constitutional guarantees of rights to peaceful assembly and free speech. While the proposed amendments would make the new law generally more permissive than one crafted during the martial law period, proposals continued to give state police substantial powers of veto over the content and location of citizen rallies.
WildBerry House
As of January 4, 2009, the movement has stopped sit-ins. A headquarters called "WildBerry House" (Chinese: 野苺之家) was established in Taipei for the movement. This location subsequently closed as of June 30, 2009.See also
- Human rights in Taiwan
- Wild Lily student movementWild Lily student movementTaiwan's Wild Lily student movement or March student movement was a six-day student demonstration in 1990 for democratic reform. The sit-in at Memorial Square in Taipei, initiated by a few students from National Taiwan University, soon drew the participation of over 300,000 demonstrators...
(野百合學運) - TaiwanizationTaiwanizationTaiwanization , also known as the Taiwanese localization movement, is a political term used in Taiwan to emphasize the importance of a separate Taiwanese culture rather than to regard Taiwan as solely an appendage of China...
(臺灣正名運動) - Blue Sky with White Sun (青天白日)
- Dang GuoDang GuoParty-State, or Dang Guo, , is a version of the Single-party state ideology that was formerly the official policy of the Republic of China under Kuomintang....
(黨國)
External links
- Action 1106, official homepage for the Wild Strawberry student movement
- 1106反集會遊行法和平靜坐(野草莓), Wild Strawberry student movement information page
- Taiwanstudentmovement, English information page
- Amnesty International Report