Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: KOKUYO/WikiCommons/CC BY-SA 4.0
STREAMER AND INFLUENCER Holger Chen is currently under investigation for calling for President Lai Ching-te’s decapitation during a livestream.
Holger Chen, a bodybuilder and gym owner popularly known by his nickname of “Gym Boss”, began as a pan-Blue political figure but began tilting toward the pan-Green camp around the time of the 2019 protests. Chen became known for making strong statements hitting back against Chinese claims over Taiwan, as well as the pan-Blue camp. At the height of the period in which Chen was a pan-Green figure, Chen was even targeted for assassination by individuals thought to be linked to the Bamboo Union triad.
Still, Chen eventually returned to his original pan-Blue leanings, now frequently lashing out at the DPP. Chen is broadly seen as affiliated with Ko Wen-je’s TPP, often appearing at their rallies. Chen’s affiliation with the TPP is at least one of the contributing factors to the TPP’s party base being heavily male, with the TPP becoming a party of angry young men who are upset at the DPP status quo. Indeed, Chen’s public image emphasizing machismo has sometimes led him to be termed the Joe Rogan of Taiwan.
Chen has since been accused of facilitating Chinese disinformation and propaganda through his livestreams. Earlier this year, Chen took a trip to China to visit several Chinese cities, which he claimed was for the sake of countering DPP disinformation about China.
By contrast, critics saw his trip to China as in line with how China often pays Taiwanese influencers on subsidized trips to China, as part of efforts to create positive perceptions of China in Taiwan. Chen denied accepting Chinese funding for the trip, however.
In calling for Lai Ching-te’s beheading, Chen probably was simply hoping to rile up his base and get attention. Even so, it is possible that Chen’s comments contribute to the willingness of his followers to carry out acts of violence against the government.
Threats against political figures from influencers are rare in Taiwan. This is also probably why authorities have emphasized that Chen will be investigated over these comments. After all, if individuals believe that there are no consequences to making threats against political figures, it is probable that there will be more such threats–some of which may eventually pose a real and actual danger that is not confined to merely online banter.
It is possible that Chen is hoping to bait the Lai administration into taking action against him, so that he can frame himself as a political victim of targeting by the Lai administration. This would be the same strategy taken by Ko Wen-je, in that Ko has sometimes sought to bait the prosecution against him so as to have incidents in court that he can play up to mobilize his followers. This includes refusing to answer questions pertaining to financial documents, refusing to comply with questioning, and complaining about the conditions he faces in jail. One notes that Chen is also likely being investigated over his trip to China and ties to the United Front.
Chen may be using the same script. But, if so, this is the same as the pan-Blue camp writ large, which has insisted that the Lai administration is carrying out a “Green Terror” directed against it. The pan-Blue camp has framed efforts by the Lai administration to strengthen securitization against Chinese threats, too, as an attempt to target political opponents.
It is to be seen how the Lai administration handles challenges from individuals such as Chen. On the one hand, if Chen is in fact found to be colluding with the Chinese United Front, Lai might wish to make an example out of him. On the other hand, targeting Chen could simply give ammunition to his supporters.
And the Lai administration may not be deft enough to handle the issue with subtlety or nuance, as observed in how attempts to go after Chinese pro-unification streamers who reside in Taiwan due to being married to Taiwanese nationals led to a controversy about the acceptable parameters of free speech in Taiwan. It is very possible that the Lai administration will try to take decisive action that backfires, in fact, when it comes to Chen and others like him.