Record of Wild - strawberry student demonstration I

Record of Wild - strawberry student demonstration I

(this article is for university of leipzig student newspaper)

Background

November, a month that we can almost feel creatures wriggling beneath the surface of everything. It was deep in fall, but the sun tends to heat up the island, like the government in Taiwan tends to heat up emotion of citizens here.

On November 4th, Chairman of Association for Relation Across the Taiwan Strait Cheng, Yun-Lin arrived Taiwan for signing The Four Treaties of links between direct air line, shipping line, post; security of trading food…etc. Considering the Chinese delegate Chang, Ming-Ching had been pushed over by angry citizen that against the re-union of China and Taiwan, Taiwanese government became very cautious on the security of Cheng, Yun-Lin. But they over safeguarding and stepped on the age of the rage.

The signing of The Four Treaties was determined solely by central government and the whole process skipped the approval of congress legislative. This was the important factor that some citizen in Taiwan felt their government want to trade the authority of Taiwan out and made Taiwan to be a province of China. The relation between Taiwan and China have been very controversy for people both sides of the strait, it is so controversy that people had become very sensitive and irritated, and because it made people sensitive and irritated, the issue of relation across strait had become an ideology that manipulated by politicians. On the issue of The Four Treaties, government tried to change the situation of relation across strait without considering the collective feeling of people, so when Chinese delegate came, many citizens are full of hostility.

On November 3^rd, some protesters went to the airport and swing the Taiwanese national flag. Their action had soon been stopped by polices, and during the police driving away the protesters, they took off the flags, and might be accidentally bended the pole. This event had aroused anger of public through media; politicians started provoking the emotion of the mass. November 4^th, the day Cheng, Yun-Lin arrived; conflicts between citizens and police had broken out in many places. A music store was forced to close down by police because of broadcasting Taiwanese music. This event had been into the judicial process, the head executer of the action still deny that he had given the order to shut the store until now. Meanwhile, on Jung-Shan north Avenue, there had been dozens of police officers line up by the avenue. A group of young people gathered together at Nov. 4^th that night, tided flags which had been written on: “Your god damn mother me is Taiwanese!” (member in this motor troop had more girls than boys, so they named it 『Your- god –damn- mother troop』)and rode on their motorcycle though Jung-Shan north Avenue . The troop had been stopped by police at the beginning of Jung-Shan north Avenue.

Through the media, people kept receiving the news like: three girls dress up in many kinds of flags had been block out by the police from approaching, and a girl had her finger broken during the dragging between polices; a documentary film maker had been dragged back to police station from Yung-Shan hotel because of filming; three girls had been trapped and injured by troops of polices with shields. These news irritated most people, some claimed that democracy in Taiwan had fallen back for twenty years to the autocratic time.

chapter I Restlessness in black and white

On November 5^th, at night, a small group of students of Taiwan university and some professors who had joined the student demonstration twenty years ago gathered together in professor Fan, Yun’s office, discussing how they could have some action towards things that happened recently. At 11:00 pm, Professor Lee, Ming-tsung had published a announcement in his personal bbs Internet space. In less than half hour, the Internet space had been jostled in hundreds of people, the announcement had been spread all over Internet and the number of signing the announcement soon reach five hundred people. The announcement condemned Taiwanese central government that violated the human rights of Taiwanese citizens and decided to start sitting-in in front of the Highest Level of Executive department building at November 6^th 11:00 am. He called people to sit in with him with black shirt and respirators to convey the anger of people to the government. In the announce of the action, there are three demands, first, president and chief executor of Taiwan apologize to public; second, chief of police department and chief of nation security department to be removed from office; third, Congress Legislative amend the law of assembly and march at once.

chapter II The color that can not be colored

In the morning of November 6^th, the subway station close to Taiwan University had been crowded by students in black. It was like the scene in the movie 「V for Vendetta」, people all wearing V’s masks and cloaks gathering and marching.

At the time of eleven, the square of Highest Executive department building had crowded in about two hundreds people. It was deep in Fall, but the sun was so bright and the sun light was challenging the will of the attendants. Under the hot weather, students shouting out 「Apologize from president and chief executor!」, 「Remove chief of police department and chief of nation security department from office!」and 「Amend law of assembly and march!」. The gate had been lined up by polices. From morning to night we saw polices changing shift every fifteen minutes but except asking some students that represent this action to get in and meet some low- level officials, there is no answer from the government.

At night, all kinds of donates poured in. Huge spotlight had been set up, huge microphone speakers had been sent in, oranges, buns, water foods and sleeping bags were all over the small square. For a demonstration, this action was much more cheerful, sufficient on source and peaceful.

November 7^th, on five o’clock in the afternoon, after police announced that the demonstration had violated the Parade and Assembly Law for three times, hundreds of polices started moving the two hundreds students sitting in the square of Highest Executive department building by force. Students put forth all their strength singing as if their voice was going to be taken away. The song of the action is written by one student, it’s called “the sound of wild strawberry”.

The sound of wild strawberry

“I have opened my eyes, and had overcome the pain of awaking.

I stretched out my arms to welcome wind that stabbed; shaking off manipulation that struggle from.

I am not flower in the greenhouse, and you don’t need to disguise the tenderness.

I would never get to learn the sham; and can only face myself truthfully.

We have our dreams; we have what we want to shout.

After you betrayed yourself, do not together sell us out.

We have our dreams; we have what we want to shout.

After your faith is thrown, we choose to walk out.

Quiet is not approval. Peace do not mean to accept.

The arrogant of you had burned me once more.

But this time, I won’t quietly take it all.”

Students that had been dragged into the police car had been carried to National Taiwan University. After got off the car, students gather to the square of freedom, the place that was honoring the autocratic president, and the place that last student demonstration went on. More and more students had gathered to the square, at the time of nine o’clock at night, there were about a seven hundred students on the square. Students selected out some students to lead the action by voting in groups, and divided works to students that make the group manage all kinds of problems. The demonstration had soon changed into the form that prepare for long term.