Daily Bloom is the shortform blog of New Bloom, covering breaking news events as they occur in real-time. 

Crowd gathers outside Legislative Yuan, night also sees attempts to charge Legislative Yuan. Reports from on-site claim above 500. Upwards of 200 seems likely, although media reports from an hour ago do not reflect this, much more than thirty are visible in pictures as is claimed in reports for an hour ago. At least one individual was injured, cutting their wrist and bleeding profusely, and seems to have been sent to the hospital, but more than one may have been hospitalized. Another protestor bit a police officer. Protestors chanted “Prevent the Black Box Ma-Xi Summit from Happening!” Protestors have increased in number through the night from a count of 20 at 10:30 PM. Trains have stopped and it is past 1 AM in Taipei, so the mood of the protest has become calmer, but it appears to have been much more fervent earlier. For a Livestream of the demonstration outside the Legislative Yuan, click here.  

There are also rumors that a group of protestors are moving to Songshan Airport, having previously gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard, then outside the Legislative Yuan, and now headed to Songshan. Songshan is notably quite far removed from Ketagalan Boulevard and the Legislative, however, it seems likely that demonstrations will occur outside the airport as Ma departs by plane. Ma’s plane will have to leave sometimes within the next few hours to make it to Singapore in time for the meeting with Xi.

A large-scale demonstration is planned for this afternoon by post-Sunflower activist groups Democracy Tautin, Dreamdom, and Restoration of Taiwan Social Justice. We will see how large demonstrations are and as to whether any direct actions take place, as in attempted building occupations or the like along the lines of what we have seen tonight with individuals charging the Legislative Yuan. It is also known that there are demonstrators, in fact, en route to Singapore by plane drawn from Democracy Tautin, Dreamdom, and Restoration of Taiwan Social Justice. But as early as tonight we are may already be having a taste of what is to come later today.

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Author: Brian Hioe
Photo Credit: Pinkiki Lee
Biography: Brian Hioe (丘琦欣) is an M.A. student at Columbia University, a freelance writer on politics and social activism, and an occasional translator. He is a resident of Taipei, Taiwan.

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