Friday night during a legislative reform discussion in Taiwan, a fight broke out in the parliament. Politicians shoved, struck, and tackled each other in a wild fight, climbing over columns to strike each other.
As tensions remained on top throughout the day, more brawls erupted.
]embedded content ]]embedded content ]
Taiwan’s senate is no person to punch- up, but Friday’s fight was an exceptional exhibition of legislative pugilism and furniture acrobatics. Some past battles have involved props, such as liquid balloons and animal intestines, but this one was real hands- to- hand combat.
The Kuomintang ( KMT ) Party, its allies, and the opposition’s efforts to give the legislature more authority over the government were the catalyst for the conflict.
Taiwan’s fresh president, William Lai Ching- dit, will be inaugurated Monday. Lai will lead a minority government after Tsai Ing-wen’s departure, but his Democratic Progressive Party ( DPP ) lost seats.
Lai Ching- ti speaks to supporters at a protest on January 13, 2024, in Taipei, Taiwan. ( Annabelle Chih/Getty Images )
The KMT did not pick up enough seats to form a majority, so it has been pushed into an alliance with a third group, the Taiwan People’s Party ( TPP ). A plan to file criminal charges against government officials who are accused of making false claims to parliament is one of their joint efforts.
The opposition claimed that the DPP administration was excessively resistant to correct congressional oversight, while the KMT and TPP were accused of trying to force their proposals through without proper discussion and procedures.
According to KMT senator Jessica Chen, who stepped out of the fight to speak in an exam while wearing an army hat,” The DPP does never want this to be passed.”
According to the Taipei Times, the argument , escalated from solid speech to throwing fingers in the corridor outside the parliamentary chamber. Shortly after the brawl, KMT lawmakers attempted to form a human shield around Speaker Han Kyo-yu so he could continue to call for motions to read and put votes in the chamber.
Hsu Chiao-hsin, a KMT senator, once attempted to play the Chinese national anthem during the tussle. Chen adopted a more aggressive stance, digging in her feet at the floor and crying,” I’ll get on ten of you”! to the DPP.
]embedded material]
One DPP senator compared having Chen as a “beetle bitten by a creature” to being a victim of it. Some claimed that Hsu gradually tried to kill Wang Mei-hui, the DPP, with a symbol and then put her flute to the side.
While he was running out of the room, DPP senator Kuo Kuo-wen attempted to extort some files from the hands of the legislature’s Secretary-General Chester Chou. Because Chou was about to release some sensitive documents without using the appropriate channels, Kuo claimed his actions were” justified” because the KMT and TPP have become “increasingly violent.”
Due to the problems, the legislative session was delayed until there was another, when two DPP lawmakers attempted to force their approach onto the floor. Five politicians received medical attention for their injury.
” The rebellious scenes are likely to contribute to debate that Mr. Lai may face a tougher issue than President Tsai Ing- ying, his predecessor, in gaining support for his parliamentary policies after he takes office”, the Telegraph , observed.
