TPP supporters rally in support of detained Ko; decry DPP government

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) Thousands gathered in Taipei on Saturday to support Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) founder who has been indicted on corruption charges, and to voice anger over what they consider "political persecution" by the government.

On a wintry, drizzly day, supporters of the upstart party assembled at Liberty Square, with many spilling onto adjacent Zhongshan S. Road, to show their solidarity with the former Taipei mayor.

Organizers said in the afternoon more than 50,000 had taken part in the event.

Against a stage backdrop showing a picture of a solemn-looking President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and the Presidential Office, many attendees decried the alleged "political persecution" of Ko by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.

Speaking to reporters at the event, TPP Acting Chairman and Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said the main purpose of the rally was to "call out the green authoritarianism."

"Regardless of party affiliations, the people of Taiwan should come together to demand that President Lai Ching-te stop reaching [his] hands into the judiciary and return to us a pure [and] independent judicial system," he added.

Ko, 65, was indicted by Taipei prosecutors on Dec. 26 on charges of bribery and other forms of corruption in connection with real estate dealings during his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022 and is currently detained.

He was also charged with embezzling political donations to the TPP during the 2024 presidential election, thus facing a jail time of up to 28.5 years.

Huang took up the party's leadership from Ko at the start of the year and called for Saturday's rally, a day after the former chairman appealed the court's decision to detain him following a bail hearing last week.

Several lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which has worked with the TPP to push through several bills in the current Legislature, also showed their support at the event.

Among the KMT lawmakers present were Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) and Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強).

Hsieh accused the DPP government of using the judicial system as a tool for its political gains, arguing if the government had targeted Ko, it might go after him or any other individual in the future.

On the other hand, DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) called the TPP's event "ridiculous" during a news conference on Saturday morning.

Commenting on the rally, DPP spokesperson Wu Cheng (吳崢) also said earlier this week that it was "regrettable" the TPP and KMT had sought to "attack the judicial system" and "rationalize [their] corrupt practices" when their members were embroiled in legal cases.