Taipei mayor apologizes after police remarks in raid on LGBT bar
In short
Taiwanese police raided an LGBT bar in Taipei on Oct. 3 and questioned 52 people, including the owner and customers. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an apologized after officers were found to have made inappropriate remarks, including asking whether a disabled person could have sex and ordering people to kneel. Police said they would discipline the officers involved and hold their commanders accountable.
Read the full story 2 min read
Police in Taipei raided an LGBT bar on Oct. 3, questioning 52 people including the owner and customers, after receiving a report that obscene acts were taking place there. The police said they had secured evidence in advance and carried out the search in line with legal procedure. [ 1 , 3 ]
The raid drew a backlash after officers were found to have made inappropriate remarks to a disabled person and to customers at the scene. According to police findings cited by Yonhap, one officer said something to the effect of “can a disabled person have sex,” while another told people to kneel or used profanity. Asia Economy reported that an officer, seeing a man in the bar's restroom, asked a colleague “is he disabled” and whether the man could have sex in the restroom in that state. [ 1 , 3 ]
Human rights groups held rallies criticizing both the remarks and the way the raid was conducted, calling it a repeat of the suppression of sexual minorities 30 years earlier. They demanded an independent investigation, the release of raid records and bodycam footage and of the officers' police numbers, a formal apology and a clear statement on what happened, guidelines for police raids on LGBT venues, and for the equal rights of vulnerable groups to be reflected in police evaluations. [ 1 , 3 ]
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an apologized for the officers' conduct and ordered thorough measures to prevent a recurrence. “Regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, identity or group, all Taipei citizens enjoy the same rights,” he said, adding that the discriminatory remarks by colleagues had violated the principles the city must uphold. The police said they would discipline the officers who made the remarks and also hold accountable the commanders who failed to stop them at the scene. [ 1 , 3 ]
Asia Economy also reported a suspicion that police had allowed a reporter into the bar to take provocative photographs. A source told the outlet that the reporter had been in the venue as a customer at the time. The documents give no further resolution of that question. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The case puts police conduct and the treatment of sexual minorities and disabled people in Taipei under public scrutiny, and the mayor's apology and promised discipline signal official acknowledgment of a problem. Whether the human rights groups' demands — an independent inquiry, release of raid records and bodycam footage, and guidelines for raiding LGBT venues — are met will indicate how far the response goes.
Key facts
- Taiwanese police raided an LGBT bar in Taipei on Oct. 3 and investigated 52 people, including the owner and customers. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Police said they acted on a report of obscene acts at the venue and searched after securing evidence in advance and following legal procedure. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Officers made inappropriate remarks to a disabled person and to customers; one asked whether a disabled person could have sex, and another ordered people to kneel or used profanity. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Human rights groups held rallies criticizing the officers' remarks and the raid method, calling it a repeat of the suppression of sexual minorities 30 years earlier. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The groups demanded an independent investigation, release of raid records and bodycam footage, guidelines for police raids on LGBT venues, and that equal rights for vulnerable groups be reflected in police evaluations. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Taiwanese police said they would discipline the officers who made the remarks and also hold accountable the commanders who did not stop them. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an apologized and ordered thorough measures to prevent a recurrence, saying all Taipei citizens enjoy the same rights regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, identity or group. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Police raided an LGBT bar in Taipei on Oct. 3 and investigated 52 people, including the owner and customers. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Some officers made inappropriate remarks to a disabled person and to customers at the scene. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Human rights groups held rallies criticizing the police remarks and the raid method. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an apologized for the officers' conduct. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Police decided to discipline the officers involved and to hold their commanders accountable. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether police allowed a reporter into the bar to take provocative photographs. Asia Economy reported the suspicion and said a source told it the reporter had been in the venue as a customer; Yonhap does not mention it, and the documents report no resolution.
- Which officers face discipline, what the penalties are, and whether the demands for bodycam footage and the officers' police numbers will be met. The documents say discipline and accountability measures were decided but give no details, and the groups' demands are reported without any response from authorities.
- The name of the bar and the precise sequence of events during the night of the raid. Neither document names the venue or describes the timing of the search beyond the date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap reports the Taipei mayor's apology and the police decision to discipline officers over remarks made during the Oct. 3 raid. [ 1 ]
- Seoul Shinmun carries the incident in its world news coverage, highlighting the officers' remark and the resulting uproar. [ 2 ]
- Asia Economy adds the restroom exchange, a source's account that a reporter was in the venue as a customer, and the human rights groups' demands. [ 3 ]