Taipei, June 13 (CNA) Around 500 Taiwanese and foreign nationals flocked to the 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei on Saturday to show their support for the global Black Lives Matter movement, with participants saying it was a good educational opportunity.
Holding banners such as "White supremacy is the deadliest virus," "We stand with you," and "Silence is violence," event participants sang songs and knelt in tribute to Black Lives Matter and George Floyd, who was killed during an arrest by police in Minneapolis on May 25.
"We can't continue to live in a world that kills people randomly, which is just terrible," said Linda Chou, who attended the rally with her husband, child and sister.
People must do all they can to show solidarity with the black community, she said, adding that as a mother, she hoped the occasion could educate people on the importance of equality.
Savungaz Valincinan, a representative of the Taiwan-based Indigenous Youth Front, said the group came out to support Black Lives Matter not only because it wanted to speak up against the longtime social discrimination against black people in America.
"We would like to call on Taiwanese society or even the world to see that many more groups are being discriminated against and receiving this unfair treatment, be it indigenous groups, the LGBTQ community, migrant workers or the immigrants," she said.
Sheridan Harris, a supporting member of the event's organizer, Taiwan-based Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative, said she was impressed with the turnout.
As a black woman, it used to be very isolating back in 2004 when she came to Taiwan, Harris said.
However, the situation has improved over the years and "it is inspiring to see now in 2020 that an event like this is possible here, and without threat of police violence and danger like in the United States," she said.
There is still room for improvement, though, said Harris.
For example, there should be understanding why it is offensive when people say they do not want to be in the sun because they think having dark skin will make them ugly, she said.
Moreover, many Taiwanese she has talked to thought that with the election of Barack Obama, racism had ended in the U.S., but that is something that more people need to know is false, she said.
