Protesters take to streets against “ractopamine pork, double standards, one-party rule”, in Taiwan

Tens of thousands of people in Taipei took part in the “Autumn Struggle” (秋鬥) — an annual protest march by labor groups — but with this year’s focus on rejecting the government’s plan to allow imports of US pork containing ractopamine residue.

“Against poisonous pork, against double standards, against a party-state,” the protesters, mostly wearing black, chanted in front of the rally’s main stage on Ketagalan Boulevard.

Autumn Struggle spokesperson Lee Chien-cheng (李建誠) said this year’s march was divided into three teams, with the first team urging food safety and labor rights, the second concentrating on environmental protection and education issues, and the third urging proper land use and freedom of speech.

The protesters collectively called on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to revoke her executive order to allow imports of US pork containing ractopamine, and for Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to step down over government policies that caused public complaints, Lee said.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) set up its own stage at Liberty Square, while the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) called a news conference outside the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT Station.

“More than 160 countries ban the use of ractopamine in animal feed and more people in the US are now against it as well, so Tsai should renegotiate with the US and tell them that Taiwanese welcome US pork, but not pork containing ractopamine” said Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), former president of KMT.

Source – Taipei Times