Theshortnewz.

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Internet Controversy Expands: Green Supporters Create Altered Memorial Photos of Blue Legislators

Internet Controversy Expands: Green Supporters Create Altered Memorial Photos of Blue Legislators Image reproduced from 聯合新聞網

The controversy surrounding the online discourse on the Jinghua City case continues to escalate. At the center of the issue is a manipulated photo of prosecutors created by the social media page "Meme-style Democracy." Users have accused the page of involving threats, prompting a swift investigation by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

In the past, political figures from the blue and white camps have also faced situations where they were depicted in "memorial" or "obituary" photos, raising questions about why the judiciary has not responded with similar urgency in those cases. Comments from Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor You Shuhui and the deputy secretary-general of the People's Party, Hsu Fu, highlight this inconsistency in the treatment of legal affairs and call for a uniform application of the law.

The page's operator, a 39-year-old engineer, claims that the content reflects his personal stance, yet the material published shows distinct political biases. This latest incident involved revealing the names and photos of several prosecutors handling the Jinghua City case, presenting them in a way that implies violence, which has led to the suspicion of intimidation and stirred public concern.

Councilor You has expressed concern that both prosecutors and judges tend to act rapidly when their own situations are threatened, as she recounted experiences where, during her tenure as a convener, she was attacked and the judge suggested that she needed to demonstrate "public accountability." You questioned whether the term "execute" might be more direct and frightening than merely crossing lines, urging prosecutors to handle these similar cases with equal promptness.

Netizens have brought up instances from the past, including a statement by the "Rude Villager Group" that explicitly stated to "execute Kuomintang Legislative Yuan party group convenor Fu Kunqi and People's Party chairman Huang Kuo-chang." Additionally, some users altered photos of blue legislators, placing them in front of Buddhist texts and even adding chrysanthemum flowers above. In particular, Huang Kuo-chang's likeness was presented in a stylized memorial image, coinciding with an incident last May when Green supporters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan with props that included Huang's memorial photo during a review of constitutional reform bills.

Hsu Fu from the People's Party remarked that this reflects double standards, questioning why there had previously been named individuals in public discourse that garnered no legal repercussions. Non-case lawyer Zhang Zite indicated that comments involving terms like "execute" and "memorial" objectively could cause psychological harm to specified individuals, potentially constituting an intimidation offense, which can carry a penalty of up to two years in prison if proven. As of this writing, no response has been given by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.