A social media influencer is being investigated by Taipei police for holding a cash giveaway event in Xinyi District (信義) on Friday evening, causing a crowd to surge and push each other and almost cause a stampede, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday.
Social media influencer “Mr R,” a man surnamed Lin (林), announced on Friday through his Instagram account, where he has more than 160,000 followers, that he would be giving away NT$1,000 bills in Xinyi Shopping District at 11pm that day.
“Mr R” also posted “please be careful tonight, don’t bring children, pregnant women, or elderly grandma or grandpas here and don’t push as it is dangerous with many people,” but from videos and photos of the event, a large crowd swarmed the influencer, screaming with outstretched hands to try to grab the money that he shot out from a cash cannon.
Photo: Still frame grab from a clip on wu.0113’sThreads
The Taipei City Police Department’s Xinyi Precinct yesterday said it received a report at about 11pm on Friday about a crowd gathering near Breeze Nan Shan (微風南山) department store so police officers were immediately deployed to the site.
The precinct said that because there was a risk of stampede, the police officers ordered the event to be stopped and dispersed the crowd. The precinct also said it had collected evidence at the site and asked Lin to report to the precinct for questioning regarding suspected offenses against public safety and public nuisance.
It also said fake NT$1,000 bills had been picked up by members of the public at the event, which the precinct would also investigate.
Lin arrived at Sanzhangli Police Station yesterday morning to answer questions from the police, and told reporters that he was sorry for causing trouble to the public, had no bad intentions in holding the cash giveaway event and had not expected that so many people would attend.
However, he said he would continue to give out money, but in a better way next time, adding that he only gave out real cash on Friday.
Chiang yesterday said the police department reported the case to him, and if an event causes any disturbance to traffic or public safety, the city government would ask the police department to deal with it according to the law.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Hung Chien-yi (洪健益) said the influencer had tossed out money to get views on social media, but it might have caused a stampede or other safety problems, and could spark other influencers to organize a similar event.
“Am I the only one who thinks its dangerous?” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) said on her Facebook page yesterday, adding that she asked the precinct if the event was legal, safe, or if its organizer had applied to hold the rally in advance, and that she urged people not to risk their personal safety for such little money and another person’s social media views.
The Xinyi Precinct said it has filed the case with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for further investigation.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by