《TAIPEI TIMES》 Pro-Taiwan rally to be held in NYC before UN session

/ Staff writer, with CNA, NEW YORK

The annual Keep Taiwan Free rally, which calls for Taiwan to be granted official membership in the UN, is to take place in New York City on Saturday next week ahead of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 17.

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The event’s organizers said that they expect a turnout of about 500 participants from Taiwanese communities in New York, as well as overseas Taiwanese living in Washington, Boston and Baltimore.

Former US deputy national security adviser Stephen Yates and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Yeh Yi-jin （葉宜津） are scheduled to participate in the march.

The rally aims to “raise awareness about Taiwan’s exclusion from the global community as a result of intense pressure and intimidation tactics by the Chinese Communist Party,” the event’s poster says.

This year’s march is to start at Astor Place near the East Village in Manhattan and end in front of the Chinese Consulate General.

Speeches are to be delivered at a “Lennon wall” in Astor Place from 12:30pm prior to the march, which is scheduled to start at 1pm.

In a change from past events, the march would not pass by the UN headquarters, event co-organizer Wu Cheng-chun （吳丞峻） said.

The change was made in the hope of drawing wider attention to the issue of Taiwan’s bid to officially join the UN, he said.

Another difference is that this year’s march would feature elements of Hong Kong’s anti-extradition bill movement, event organizers said.

Wu said that he hopes all people who have fallen victim to oppression, including Tibetans, Uighurs and Hong Kongers, would come together at the event.

“Anyone who acknowledges Taiwanese sovereignty, dignity and democratic institutions is welcome to walk with us,” he said. “A lot of people do. The key is whether they will come out.”

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES