KMT Chairperson Hung Hsiu-chu has condemned a verbal attack by a self-declared citizen journalist against an elderly man in a Kaohsiung park.
The citizen journalist, Hung Su-chu, has come under fire from all of Taiwan’s major political parties for a video posted to her Facebook page on Thursday. The video shows her shouting at the man because he and his family were among those who sought refuge in Taiwan as communist forces took Mainland China.
The video has put public attention back on historical resentment between ethnic Chinese with roots in Taiwan, and those who came to Taiwan fleeing the communism in Mainland China.
Responding to the video on Saturday, KMT Chairperson Hung Hsiu-chu wrote on her Facebook page that citizens should take action against hate speech.
Hung wrote that citizens should avoid hate speech, but also refuse to incite or spread hatred. At the same time, she wrote, Taiwan needs to have dialogue at a deep level to remove the causes of hate, create a path for rational discussion, and allow society to let go of prejudice.
In her post, Hung also thanked President Tsai Ing-wen for her condemnation of the video and for her calls for further dialogue to bring the country together.
Hung later announced that she would travel to Kaohsiung to meet with the elderly man in the video. She called on the Legislature to pass laws to combat discrimination.