▲ Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an
The mayor of Taipei has personally apologized after it was revealed that Taiwanese police made derogatory remarks against people with disabilities and insulted customers during a raid on an LGBTQ+ bar in Taipei.
According to outlets such as the Taipei Times and Liberty Times, Taiwanese police raided an LGBTQ+ bar in Taipei on October 3, investigating 52 people, including the owner and customers.
Police explained that they acted on a tip that obscene acts were taking place at the establishment, secured evidence in advance, and conducted the search in accordance with legal procedures.
However, controversy grew as it became known that some police officers made inappropriate remarks and behavior toward people with disabilities and customers present at the scene.
According to a police investigation, one officer made a comment to the effect of, "Do people with disabilities even have sex?" while another officer reportedly ordered people at the scene to kneel down or hurled insults at them.
Human rights civic groups held a rally to criticize the police remarks and the raiding methods.
They demanded an independent fact-finding investigation, the release of crackdown records, the establishment of police guidelines for cracking down on LGBTQ+ establishments, and the inclusion of the equal rights of socially vulnerable groups in police performance evaluations.
Taiwanese police announced that they will discipline the officers who made inappropriate remarks following the investigation and hold the commanding officers accountable for failing to stop them on the scene.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an also apologized for the police remarks and ordered thorough measures to prevent a recurrence.
Mayor Chiang stated, "Regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, identity, group, or affiliation, everyone is a Taipei citizen entitled to the same rights," adding, "The discriminatory remarks and behavior of our colleagues in this incident violated our principles."
(Photo: Getty Images)
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