離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Groups blast police raid on gay bar
People protest after police raided a gay bar ahead of the annual Taiwan Pride parade in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Reuters
UNWELCOME THROWBACK:Groups condemned police for the ‘heavy-handed’ raid and the arrogant conduct of officers, saying it belied Taipei’s LGBTQ-friendly reputation
By Wang Kuan-jen, Yang Yuan-ting and Sam Garcia / Staff reporters, with staff writer
Civic groups yesterday protested what they called the police’s excessively forceful raid on a Taipei gay bar on Saturday, calling on police to apologize, protect marginalized groups and stop stigmatizing LGBTQ culture.
Police from Taipei’s Wanhua Precinct on Saturday afternoon raided the bar Commander D under a warrant following alleged reports of nudity and indecent behavior.
At the protest held near Ximending’s （西門町） Red House yesterday, the civic groups referred to witnesses who called the raid “heavy-handed,” saying that officers refused to show a warrant, ordered people not to talk or use their phones, behaved arrogantly, insulted LGBTQ people and detained dozens of people in for questioning.
Police made discriminatory remarks about people with disabilities and handcuffed the bar manager, forcing him to kneel, they quoted witnesses as saying, adding a reporter accompanied police into the bar and took photos, ignoring principles about keeping information pertaining to an investigation private.
It is unacceptable for something like this to happen in 2026 in Taiwan, especially considering that Taiwan proclaims itself East Asia’s most progressive country, they added.
The operation lasted five hours, but police reportedly told people at the scene they were only checking people’s identities.
The Wanhua police should explain the operation and apologize for the officers’ conduct and discriminatory remarks, the groups said, adding that the Taipei City Police Department needs to explain their discriminatory law enforcement and hold those responsible accountable.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an （蔣萬安） must explain the instances of discriminatory enforcement this year and evaluate whether Taipei is truly LGBTQ-friendly, they said.
Kang Yang, a protester, said he was angry the raid had happened, particularly during Pride Month.
“I’m not cool with this,” he said. “This city used to claim that it was queer-friendly.”
In addition to protesting, the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association and nine other LGBTQ groups issued a joint statement yesterday condemning the raid as a repeat of LGBTQ oppression seen 30 years ago.
It is unacceptable for the Taipei City Government to promote itself internationally as LGBTQ-friendly while suppressing queer people at home, the statement said.
The statement called for an independent investigation into excessive and dehumanizing police enforcement, a public explanation, disciplinary action and an apology.
It called on police to disclose records of the operation, incorporate protections for marginalized groups into policing and accountability systems, and to stop stigmatizing LGBTQ venues and culture.
In response, the Wanhua Precinct said yesterday the operation was launched after it received a public complaint alleging the bar could be violating public decency laws.
The raid was conducted lawfully and did not discriminate toward LGBTQ people, it said, adding that the police obtained a court-approved search warrant after gathering evidence that the venue might have been contravening public decency laws.
There were 58 customers in the venue during the raid, and 51 were cited under the Social Order Maintenance Act （社會秩序維護法） for public nudity and indecent behavior, it said.
An officer did make an inappropriate remark to a person in a wheelchair and has been given a reprimand, the precinct said, adding it would continue to educate its officers to respect diversity while cracking down on illegal activity.
While critics have accused police of excessive use of force after officers entered the bar and ordered people inside to squat or kneel, sources said that given the large number of people at the scene, the orders were intended to secure the premises immediately, prevent anyone from assaulting officers, and ensure that evidence would not be concealed or destroyed.
As for allegations that police allowed a reporter into the bar to take sensational photographs, in violation of the principle of keeping investigations confidential, the source said the reporter was actually at the establishment as a customer at the time.
While some have accused police of conducting discriminatory inspections at two other gay bars later on Saturday night, the precinct said that the more than 20 locations inspected had been scheduled in advance. The inspections were unrelated to the afternoon raid and did not constitute discriminatory enforcement, it said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
