Comments on: Human Rights Day

By: Scott Sommers

Scott Sommers — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:25:48 +0000

I share Kerim’s surprise here. Is the argument that the Losheng protest should be broken up because it’s ‘inappropriate’? I would have hoped for an argument describing it as illegal or a risk to the national executive, but ‘inappropriate’? I don’t think so. Obviously Kerim doesn’t think so. Who gets to decide what kind of protest is appropriate for the occasion? In fact, this question has been asked in Singapore, which considers itself a parliamentary democracy.

By: Kerim Friedman

Kerim Friedman — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:18:25 +0000

One of the wonderful things about democracy is that your rights are not dependent upon the appropriateness of your actions, but adhere to you as a member of that democracy. Reasonable people will differ as to what is appropriate and the state does not have the right to impose its definition of appropriateness by force.

By: David on Formosa

David on Formosa — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:02:43 +0000

The Taiwan News had an editorial on this (can’t remember the date). It argued that the Losheng protestors’ actions were inappropriate for the occassion. It showed a lack of respect and understanding for the suffering that many Taiwanese endured in the martial law era. They could have chosen a more appropriate way of raising the issue without alienating those people who might otherwise be sympathetic to their cause.