About 8,000 people, both locals and foreigners, marched on December 20th in Taipei to express their support for US President Donald Trump and show strong opposition to the Chinese Communist Party (CPP).
The parade was organized by Epoch Media Group, the publisher of the Epoch Times affiliated with Falun Gong, a religious movement based on qigong, founded and still headed by Li Hongzhi (born 1952 or 1951).
Li began his public teachings on May 13th, 1992 in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun and in 1998 settled as a permanent resident in the United States.
On June 20th, 1999, after the organization gained widespread popularity in the Middle Kingdom with an estimated 70 million followers, the CPP began to crack down systematically on what it considered a dangerous sect that threatened its power.
The rally’s participants carried placards with slogans such as “Taiwan-US cooperation, we support Trump to dispose Communist China” “Truth and Justice”, “Oppose the CPP, God bless Taiwan” and “Taiwan, fight for Trump.”
Some signs echoed messages used by Trump supporters who rightfully doubt that he lost the US election last month with phrases such as: “Stop the Steal” and “Make America Great Again.”
Although Trump’s attempts to prove the obvious irregularities in court have been so far unsuccessful due to legal obstruction by his political adversaries and even his foes inside the Republican Party, the result still must be confirmed by a joint session of the US Congress on January 6th, 2021.
With drums and music, the march traveled several blocks around Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010, when it was surpassed in height by Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
For many years Falun Gong practitioners have been protesting at the entrance of this top tourist attraction in Taiwan against the persecution of their fellows in China and confronting Chinese visitors with graphically shocking material, which sometimes led to incidents.
The route ended at a nearby plaza, where talks and videos were presented and streamed online. Many attendants praised US protection of Taiwan’s freedom and democracy, including relevant weapons sales, and increased official visits during the Trump administration.
P.D.: On June 13th, 2020 a small rally by the Taiwan-based Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative was also held in Taipei.