Gender groups urge investigation into 'discriminatory' gay bar raid

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) Several gender equality groups called on the Taipei City government Sunday to conduct a thorough investigation into a police raid on a gay bar the previous night, alleging excessive enforcement, procedural violations, and discriminatory and degrading remarks toward patrons.

The Taipei City Police Department's Wanhua Precinct conducted the raid on a BDSM-themed gay bar in Taipei's Ximending District on Saturday night, according to local media reports.

A joint statement posted on the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association's Facebook page cited people at the scene as saying that police refused to show the search warrant to those being searched.

Police also allegedly ordered everyone to squat down, prohibited them from talking or using their mobile phones, and made humiliating and discriminatory remarks toward people with disabilities, according to the statement.

Moreover, police allegedly took dozens of people to the police station against their will to give statements, the statement said.

The joint statement

Signed by 10 nongovernmental organizations, including the hotline association, the statement condemned what the groups described as excessive enforcement, procedural violations, a condescending attitude and police brutality.

The groups demanded the city government conduct an independent investigation into the allegations, issue a public statement on the incident, discipline officers found responsible and apologize.

The Wanhua Precinct should preserve and publicly disclose legally releasable records of the police operation, they urged.

The groups further called on the city to establish guidelines for police operations in gay and gender-diverse spaces and incorporate protections for the rights of gender-diverse people and people with disabilities into police enforcement, evaluation and accountability systems.

They also called on police and the media to stop using stigmatizing language when referring to gay spaces and related sexual orientations.

The groups added that the city government cannot stop at simply "strengthening diversity and gender-awareness training for police officers."

While acknowledging the importance of training, they called for more proactive, practical and traceable measures to address systemic problems rather than focusing solely on individual officers.

The statement underlined that the existence of a search warrant does not exempt police from observing due process, the principle of proportionality, human dignity and equality.

Police response

The Wanhua Precinct said in a statement later in the day that the raid was a lawful operation in response to a report of suspected violations of public morals and was conducted under a search warrant issued by a court.

Police said they found violations of public morals during the raid and took the person responsible for the venue and other relevant individuals to the police station for questioning, with several referred to prosecutors on suspicion of public indecency and violations of the Social Order Maintenance Act.

Regarding allegations that officers made inappropriate remarks or behaved improperly toward people with disabilities, the precinct said surveillance footage had confirmed the conduct and that the officers involved were undergoing administrative disciplinary procedures.

The precinct said it would continue to provide officers with training on respecting diversity and protecting the rights of all individuals.

In an earlier statement issued Saturday night, however, the precinct had said that all officers involved in the raid had acted in accordance with the law and denied that they had made humiliating remarks toward people with disabilities.

Also on Sunday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the raid had been conducted in accordance with the law and with a court-issued search warrant.

The precinct was instructed to review any inappropriate conduct that may have occurred and explain the situation to the public as soon as possible, he said.