The Presidential Office responds to the joint statement of scholars: Promoting aggression against Taiwan has already violated the bottom line of democracy and freedom of speech.
讀後心得
75 scholars issued a joint statement indicating that the space for freedom of speech in Taiwan has been compressed, calling on the government to protect free speech. Presidential Office spokesperson Guo Ya-hui emphasized that freedom of speech should respect different opinions, but promoting aggressive war and hate speech has violated international norms, challenging the bottom line of Taiwan's democratic system and freedom of speech.
Seventy-five scholars, including academicians from the Academia Sinica, have issued a joint statement pointing out that the space for freedom of speech in Taiwan is being compressed, calling for the government to change the current situation immediately. Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Ya-huei stated that the government has always respected and defended the freedom of speech of various advocates, but comments promoting aggressive war against Taiwan and inciting hatred and violence have violated international norms, posing a challenge to Taiwan's freedom and democratic system, and crossing the lines of democracy and free speech.
The 75 scholars jointly signed a statement today titled "Defending Taiwan's Democratic Rule of Law and Peace Security," with initiators including Chen Pei-che from the Academia Sinica, Huang Te-pei from the Left Alliance, as well as scholars Feng Jian-san and Lu Chien-yi, among others. The statement criticizes President Lai Qing-de's recent announcement to restore military courts and restrict cross-Strait exchanges, as well as the Immigration Agency's enforcement of the deportation of a Chinese spouse with the surname Liu, pointing out that since Lai's taking office, populism has been intensifying, leading to a rapid erosion of freedom of speech in Taiwan, and the ideological censorship from the martial law period is quietly returning to Taiwan.
Kuo Ya-huei reiterated in response to media questions about the statement that Taiwan is a democratic society, and freedom and democracy are the foundation of the country. However, promoting invasion and violence clearly violates international law, which is a challenge to Taiwan's free democratic system and also contravenes the fundamental boundaries of free speech.