Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Taipei yesterday in support of students who have occupied Taiwan’s parliament for two weeks to protest against a trade pact with mainland China, writes Jamil Anderlini.
Organisers and media estimated as many as 500,000 joined the rally in the biggest protest on the island since 2008. Many were dressed in black shirts and carrying sunflowers, the chosen symbol of the student occupiers. Taipei authorities said the rally drew about half that number by mid-afternoon.
The turnout offered a potent display of the deep antipathy many feel towards their authoritarian neighbour, which claims the island as its territory.