Taipei police raid on gay bar sparks protests, groups demand apology and investigation into discriminatory law enforcement

People protest against police raids on gay bars in Taipei ahead of Taiwan's annual gay parade. Photo: Reuters

Unwelcome echoes: Groups condemned "brutal" police raids and officers' arrogant behavior, saying it contradicted Taipei's longstanding LGBTQ-friendly image.

By Wang Guanren, Yang Yuanting, Sam Garcia/Staff reporters, additional staff writing

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Civil society yesterday protested the police's excessive force raid on Commander D, a gay bar in Taipei, demanding that the police apologize, protect marginalized groups and stop stigmatizing LGBTQ culture.

Taipei City Wanhua Branch police raided the Commander D bar with a ticket on Saturday afternoon after someone allegedly reported nudity and inappropriate behavior at the venue.

At yesterday's protest near the Red House in Ximending, civil society cited eyewitness testimony and called the raid "brutal", accusing police officers of refusing to show search tickets, prohibiting people from talking or using mobile phones, being arrogant, insulting LGBTQ people, and taking dozens of people away for questioning.

Witnesses also said officers made discriminatory remarks about people with disabilities and handcuffed the bar manager and forced him to kneel. They also mentioned that a reporter followed the police into the bar to take photos, violating the principle that investigative information should be kept confidential.

They said that it is unacceptable for such a thing to happen in Taiwan in 2026, especially considering that Taiwan claims to be the most progressive country in East Asia.

The operation lasted five hours, but police allegedly told people at the scene they were simply checking identities.

Civil society groups demanded that the Wanhua Branch explain its course of action and apologize for the officers' actions and discriminatory remarks, and pointed out that the Taipei City Police Department needs to explain its discriminatory law enforcement and hold them accountable.

They also asked Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan to explain the discriminatory law enforcement incidents that occurred this year and assess whether Taipei is truly LGBTQ-friendly.

Protester Kang Yang said he was angry about the raid, especially during Pride month. "I can't accept this," he said. "This city once claimed to be queer-friendly."

In addition to the protest, the Taiwan Gay Hotline Association and nine other LGBTQ groups issued a joint statement yesterday condemning the raid as a repeat of LGBTQ oppression thirty years ago.

The statement pointed out that it is unacceptable that the Taipei City Government promotes itself as LGBTQ-friendly internationally, but oppresses queer people domestically.

The statement calls for an independent investigation into excessive and dehumanizing police enforcement, as well as public explanations, disciplinary action and an apology.

At the same time, we call on the police to disclose their action records, incorporate the protection of marginalized groups into the police administration and accountability system, and stop stigmatizing gay places and culture.

In response to this matter, the Wanhua Branch said yesterday that the operation was launched after receiving reports from the public, alleging that the bar may have violated the Public Order Maintenance Law.

The branch stressed that the operation was legal and did not discriminate against LGBTQ people, saying that the police obtained a court-approved search ticket after collecting evidence because they suspected that the place might violate the Public Order Maintenance Act.

The precinct acknowledged that an officer made inappropriate remarks about a person in a wheelchair and has disciplined the officer and will continue to educate officers on diversity respect.

While there have been criticisms that officers entering the bar and ordering people to squat or kneel constituted the use of excessive force, sources said that due to the large number of people at the scene, the move was to immediately control the situation, prevent anyone from attacking the officers, and ensure that evidence was not hidden or destroyed.

In response to accusations that police breached investigative confidentiality by allowing a reporter to enter the bar to take inflammatory photos, sources said the reporter was actually in the venue as a customer at the time.

Despite accusations that police conducted discriminatory inspections of two other gay bars on Saturday night, the Wanhua branch said more than two dozen locations were inspected that night and that the inspections were prearranged and had nothing to do with the afternoon raids and did not constitute discriminatory enforcement.

Additional reporting by Reuters

News source: Taipei Times

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