Ground Report

The forced eviction of Wild Strawberries Movement at the Freedom Square this morning (Dec 11), just a few hours after the International Human Rights Day, shows the Taiwan government’s hypocrisy in the implementation of human rights .

On International Human Rights Day (12/10), Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou asked the Legislature to give endorsement to two international human rights documents (the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) to help implement human rights protection in Taiwan. The speech was made in Asian Democracy and Human Rights Award, an annual event organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.

However, four hours after the International Human Rights Day, police surrounded the protesters gathering in the Freedom Square and forced them to leave, including the student sit-in (Wild Strawberry Movement) and Taiwan Friends of Tibet.

The students has protested police brutality during Chen Yun-lin (陳雲林)’s visit to Taiwan and asked to revise the Parade and Assembly Law since 11/6. More students advocated this protest and started sit-in in Hsinchu, Taichung, Chia-Yi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.

monika joined the sit-in and told her parents

老師們也都連署聲援學生的訴求，加入廣場上的靜坐，我們一起討論著人權的概念、討論甚麼叫做暴力、自由，我們對於台灣社會 都有著美好圖像的期待。我們渴望一個自由、民主成熟的公民社會，這個社會人人可以理性和平地表達意見，人與人能夠互相尊重、聆聽不同的意見，前提就在於我 們必須肯認言論自由作為憲法的最高價值在公民社會的落實。於是我們選擇坐在那裏，表達我們的意見，也渴望被理解、被聽見。

Photo courtesy of oj

These sit-in students called their protest as “Wild Strawberry Movement.” sabinasun went to the sit-in and was amazed by what she saw:

這回野草莓有許多結合科技和創意的表現，包括自寫自唱〈野草莓之歌〉，靈活運用網路科技做現場雙語即時轉播，豐富多樣的街 頭劇場表演，把抗議當作遊戲，把口號變成體操，甚至把一個本來是負面意義的「草莓」以KUSO形式轉變為自我認同符碼等。這一代的養成雖像草莓般稚嫩，但 看著學著解嚴後公民社會各式各樣的街頭組織和集體行動，也意外早熟地蔓生起來。

During students’ sit-in, other protesters joined them, including original inhabitants of Sanying Aboriginal Community who were forcibly moved away from their homes. When police arrived at the Freedom Square at 3am on 12/11, about 100 Tibetans from Taiwan Friends of Tibet were also there to protest about their legal identity.

wenli received a phone call soon after the policemen surrounded the protesters.

當我到達自由廣場時，第一批被驅離的圖博之友會人士，已經被全部載上警備車。警方刻意將這些大多不熟悉台北路況的圖博人， 在深夜裡載往大湖公園或關渡等地「二次流亡」。圖博人沒有抵抗，只有懂得中文的人絕望地呼喊「馬英九總統，救救圖博」。後來在現場警察的說法：「如果不是 你們（指野草莓）幫助他們，我們也不會去抬他們（指圖博人士）！」，也明示了野草莓運動與圖博訴求的結合，是今晨展開鎮壓行動的主因之一。

除了現場大約還有二三十名學生，以廣場地標草莓塔為中心，被數百名警察四面包圍之外，帳篷與物資堆積處已經被拆除，物資也散落一地。沒有被包圍住的 學生，急迫地將重要的物資如發電機和電腦等等撤離到外圍路邊。而大部分的佈置物不是被卡車拖走，便是雜亂地堆積在一起等待清潔隊來處理。零星的學生一個個 地將可用 的物資盡量地搶救出來。

Photo courtesy of action1106

Students who were brought away from the Freedom Square came back three hours later. Some Tibetans who were brought away also came back later, and Taiwan Friends of Tibet is trying to find others. wenli said,

或許政府可以將草莓塔化為一捆竹竿和布條堆積而成的瓦礫；或許警察可以將帳篷解體成鐵條和帆布的殘餘；或許這些物質上的損 失，會成為現場指揮官升遷敘獎的依據；但是，野草莓運動本身沒有受到任何傷害，反而會因為這次卑劣的夜襲行為，而更加凝聚了運動的向心力。因為，人的精神 和尊嚴，才是學生們運動的主體，而這是不可能通過物理手段加以損毀的。

附帶一提，警方驅離的理由之一，是以交通法規將 野草莓運動視為路障來處理。然而，幾個小時當中，真正行駛在廣場上的車輛，也只有警方清運的卡車而已。對這個在世界人權日結束後四小時，便扯下偽善面具， 露出猙獰面目的政權來說，人權不過是形同具文的兩個字而已。它可以用於光鮮亮麗的頒獎典禮上，卻不允許在公共的廣場上被呼喊。