Taipei Mayor Apologizes After Police Make Derogatory Remarks During Raid on LGBTQ+ Bar

The mayor of Taipei has personally apologized after it was revealed that Taiwanese police made derogatory remarks about people with disabilities and insulted patrons during a raid on an LGBTQ+ bar in the city.

According to outlets like Taiwan's Liberty Times, Taiwanese police raided an LGBTQ+ bar in Taipei on October 3 and investigated 52 people, including the owner and patrons.

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 patrons present at the scene.

An internal police investigation found that one officer made remarks to the effect of, "Can people with disabilities even have sex?" while other officers ordered individuals at the scene to kneel down or hurled insults at them.

Civil rights groups held rallies to criticize the police officers' remarks and the enforcement methods used.

They demanded an independent fact-finding investigation, the release of raid records, the establishment of police guidelines for enforcement at LGBTQ+ venues, and the inclusion of equal rights for socially vulnerable groups in police performance evaluations.

Taiwanese police announced disciplinary action against the officers who made the inappropriate remarks, and stated that commanding officers who failed to stop the behavior at the scene would also be held accountable.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an also apologized for the police's conduct and called for thorough measures to prevent recurrence.

"Every Taipei citizen enjoys the same rights regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, identity, group, or affiliation," Mayor Chiang said. "The discriminatory remarks and behavior of our colleagues in this incident violated our principles."

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.