(Reuters) — Taiwanese demonstrators marched through the streets of Taipei on Sunday (August 2) to protest against the revision of textbooks they say are aimed at promoting Beijing’s “one China” policy.
Hundreds of people, mainly students, chanting and holding banners, marched along the streets around Taiwan’s education ministry on Sunday afternoon, demanding for the withdrawal of the revised curriculum.
Some parents participated to support their children.
“So we think parents, fathers and mothers, should stand up, for fairness and justice and for our children’s education. We think the parents should stand up to support children in order to let our education officials and administrative authorities know that it’s not only the students who are opposing the curriculum, but parents also oppose the curriculum,” said a demonstrator Hsu Hsiu-chaio.
Feng Qiao-lan, executive of Taiwan’s Humanistic Education Foundation urged people to support the students protesting.
“Meanwhile, we also want to express (our support to) the students who have hung in here for Taiwan’s future, Taiwan’s education and for the withdrawal of this black box curriculum. Our citizens must stand at the front line at the same time to support the students and to protect democracy. We also hope our government can resolve the curriculum dispute as soon as possible through legal procedures, whether through the legislature or through administrative procedures,” Feng said.
About 700 students climbed barricades around the ministry and as of Friday (July 31) morning about 200 were encamped inside the ministry compound, demanding an audience with the island’s Education Minister, Wu Se-Hwa, police said.
The students say revisions to high school textbooks present a warped version of history slanted toward China and are aimed at brainwashing them to accept a “one China” policy.
The protests reflect a surge of nationalism among Taiwan’s youth, who are far more likely than their elders to identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese.
The Sunflower Movement protest seems likely to determine the outcome of January’s presidential election by voting in a president from an independence-leaning party, something Communist Party rulers across the narrow Taiwan Strait will never allow.
The latest protest started in front of the education ministry compound late on Thursday (July 30) in response to the suicide of a man arrested following similar action last week.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control.
President Ma Ying-jeou, of the pro-China Nationalist Party, has signed a series of trade and economic pacts with China, though there have been no political talks and suspicions persist on both sides, especially in proudly democratic Taiwan.
