Wild Strawberry student movement

Wild Strawberry student movement
Name	Wild Strawberry student movement
Date	2015–2016
Place	Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung
Methods	Sit-in, protest, petition
Status	Concluded

Wild Strawberry student movement The Wild Strawberry student movement was a campus-led protest series in Taiwan centered in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung that mobilized students, activists, and civic groups in response to political events and law enforcement tactics during 2015–2016. Drawing on networks linked to the Sunflower Movement, Democratic Progressive Party, and civil society organizations such as the

Background and origins

The movement emerged after controversies involving the Legislative Yuan, Presidential Office, National Police Agency, and Executive Yuan, which followed high-profile incidents related to the Sunflower Movement, Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement protests, and demonstrations at Liberty Square. Student organizers referenced tactics from the 318 Occupy protests, the 228 Incident commemorations, and lessons from the 1990 Wild Lily student movement, while coordinating with chapters of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Awakening Foundation, and Free Tibet groups. Influences included protesters who had participated in events around Ketagalan Boulevard, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Academia Sinica forums, and campaigns advocated by the New Power Party, Taiwan Solidarity Union, and citizen groups in Kaohsiung City Council.

Timeline and major events

Early sit-ins began near National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, and National Sun Yat-sen University, expanding after a police operation near the Presidential Office and a high-profile clash at Zhongzheng District that involved officers from the Taipei City Police Department and the National Police Agency riot squads. Subsequent occupations targeted spaces such as the Legislative Yuan plaza, Taipei Main Station forecourt, and campus quads, coinciding with petitions submitted to the Control Yuan, Judicial Yuan inquiries, and demonstrations near the Ministry of the Interior. Key mass gatherings referenced precedents like the 2014 Sunflower Movement occupations, the 2003 SARS-era protests, and commemorative marches on Ketagalan Boulevard and Liberty Square; actions included coordinated teach-ins, student assemblies modeled on the Million Voices rallies, and solidarity events with Hong Kong Umbrella Movement participants and Korean Candlelight protests.

Participants and organizations

Participants included student unions from National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University, and National Tsing Hua University, youth wings of the Democratic Progressive Party, New Power Party volunteers, and activist collectives such as the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Citizen 1985, and the Judicial Reform Foundation. International connections involved human rights NGOs, Amnesty International observers, and solidarity delegations from groups linked to the Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and Japanese student organizations tied to Waseda University and University of Tokyo. Cultural figures and academics from Academia Sinica, National Chengchi University faculty, and public intellectuals who had supported the Sunflower Movement publicly commented, while legal aid was provided by lawyers associated with the Taipei Bar Association and civic legal clinics.

Government response and legal issues

Authorities responded through policing measures enacted by the Taipei City Police Department, National Police Agency, and Ministry of the Interior, invoking provisions of the Assembly and Parade Act and administrative orders from the Executive Yuan. The Legislative Yuan debated oversight motions and inquiries were raised at the Control Yuan and Judicial Yuan; legal challenges involved petitions to district courts and appeals to the Constitutional Court, citing precedents from the Sunflower Movement legal disputes and rulings involving the Assembly and Parade Act. Responses also touched on statements from the Presidential Office and interactions with the Ministry of Justice, while human rights groups lodged complaints with international bodies and engaged the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Public reaction and media coverage

Media coverage spanned outlets such as the Central News Agency, Taiwan Public Television Service, Liberty Times, United Daily News, and China Times, with commentary appearing on social platforms like PTT Bulletin Board System, Facebook pages maintained by student groups, and Twitter threads by foreign correspondents. Coverage included opinion pieces from columnists aligned with both the Pan-Green Coalition and Pan-Blue Coalition, features in cultural magazines, and broadcast segments on Formosa Television and TVBS. Public opinion was reflected in polls by Academia Sinica research centers, civic surveys by the Election Study Center at National Chengchi University, and statements from municipal governments including Taipei City Government and Kaohsiung City Government. International media outlets followed developments via correspondents from The New York Times, The Guardian, and Reuters.

Impact and legacy

The movement influenced subsequent campaigns involving the New Power Party, Young Turks within the Democratic Progressive Party, and student networks that organized around electoral reform, judicial reform, and civil liberties debates that intersected with issues addressed by the Legislative Yuan, Control Yuan, and Judicial Yuan. It contributed to discourse in law schools, civic education programs at National Taiwan Normal University, and curricular debates at National Taiwan University, and fed into transnational activism linking Taiwan with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan. Commemorations and analyses appeared in academic journals, think tanks such as the Taiwan Democracy Watch, and civil society retrospectives, shaping public memory alongside the Sunflower Movement, Wild Lily movement, and 228 commemorations.

Category:Political movements in Taiwan