Taiwan LGBT Pride and Civic Groups Demand Investigation Into Police Raid on Taipei Gay Bar
A coalition of civic organizations led by Taiwan LGBT Pride (taiwanlgbtpride) has issued a joint statement demanding that the Taipei City Government launch a thorough investigation into a police raid carried out on October 3 at a gay BDSM-themed bar in Ximending. The statement, titled "A search warrant must not become a blank check to violate human rights," alleges excessive force, procedural violations, and humiliating treatment of patrons during the raid, and lays out five concrete demands.
What the raid allegedly involved
According to the statement, which cites accounts from multiple witnesses present at the scene, officers from the Wanhua Precinct of the Taipei City Police Department refused to show the search warrant to patrons being checked, ordered everyone to crouch down, and forbade talking or phone use. The statement further alleges discriminatory remarks directed at patrons with disabilities and other humiliating language used during the operation, and says dozens of people were taken to the police station to have statements recorded.
Police have stated that the operation was carried out under prosecutorial direction and with a court-issued search warrant. The joint statement argues that the existence of a warrant does not exempt police from due process, the principle of proportionality, or basic respect for human dignity.
The five demands
- Immediately launch an independent investigation into the alleged excessive force, procedural violations and humiliating treatment, with public disclosure of findings, disciplinary action and an apology.
- The Wanhua Precinct should fully preserve and, where legally permissible, publicly disclose records of the enforcement operation.
- The Taipei City Government should establish enforcement guidelines specifically for LGBT and other gender-diverse venues.
- The city government should incorporate the equal rights of LGBT people, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups into police enforcement, evaluation and accountability systems.
- Police and media should stop describing LGBT venues and queer sexual culture in stigmatizing terms.
The full list of organizations that co-signed the statement, along with the complete text, has been published on Taiwan LGBT Pride's Instagram.