Green Terror (Taiwan)
"Green Terror" (Chinese: 綠色恐怖; pinyin: Lǜsè Kǒngbù; Wade–Giles: Lü4sê4 Kʻung3pu4) or "Second White Terror" (Chinese: 白色恐怖2.0)[1] is a political term used to characterize and criticize the authoritarian-like actions of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) or the pan-Green camp. It is used by the DPP's opponents in Taiwan (mainly the pan-Blue camp and the TPP), but is also sometimes used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).[2][a] The term is a combination the DPP's party color and "White Terror", a reference to political repression under the Kuomintang's rule by martial law.[4]
Examples
[edit]Since 2014, the Ma Ying-jeou government has attempted to reduce Taiwanization and strengthen the identity of the 'Republic of China' in high school history subjects. This has intensified into a political debate, with criticism from pan-Green camps, including the DPP, which values the 'Taiwanese' identity over the identity of the 'Republic of China'. As for the DPP's view that the deletion of the "White Terror" from the new syllabus was a form of de-Taiwanization, Lin Ming-cheng, a politician with the Chinese ultra-nationalist New Party, said that the DPP's approach was the "Green Terror".[5]
Since 2025, as the mayors Cheng Wen-tsan (DPP), Ann Kao (TPP), and Ko Wen-je (2024 presidential candidate for the TPP) were sequentially arrested, Ko Wen-je, in an interview on July 30, 2024, compared Lai Ching-te to Hitler: "If Lai Ching-te grows a small mustache, he will look increasingly like Hitler."[6] The chairman of the TPP, Huang Kuo-chang, said today that the grandfather of Ko Wen-je, walked through the era of White Terror, and now Ko is caught up in another kind of Green Terror, and Ko's family is caught up in the great pain.[7]
Support for far-right anti-communist forces abroad
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Pan-Green camp is politically 'progressive' within Taiwan, but their pro-independence and anti-PRC stance has created a friendly atmosphere with the anti-communist or anti-Chinese far-right ultra-conservative in Japan and South Korea.[4][8][9] Main reason why the pan-Green camp favors far-right politics over liberals in Japan and South Korea:
- Conservative Japanese nationalists who support the revision of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, rather than Japan's liberals/progressives who oppose to the constitutional revision and adhere to defensivism, are more likely to be helpful in a potential Sino-Taiwanese war (likely to break out due to the push for Taiwan independence).[9]
- South Korean conservatives support Taiwan in the China-Taiwan conflict as an extension of pro-Americanism, while South Korean liberals are relatively indifferent to Taiwan.[10]
When the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis (caused by Yoon Suk Yeol, the then far-right South Korea's president) broke out, the DPP Legislative Caucus posted an article on Threads, claiming that the declaration of martial law was a legitimate effort to protect free constitutional democracy in South Korea and criticizing Taiwanese opposition parties for obstructing national security proposals, allegedly "unconstitutionally expand[ing]" their powers, and reducing the defense budget.[11][12] While the post was deleted shortly afterwards, it sparked criticism from major opposition parties, including the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), who interpreted the post as a threat to take similar measures in Taiwan.[11][13] This led to the DPP being criticized by South Korean netizens, and referred to as the "Green Terror" by critics.[4][14][15]
See also
[edit]- Anti-Infiltration Act, opponents of the act called it "Green Terror" or "Second White Terror".
- "Communist bandit", originally a Taiwanese anti-communist term often used during the [Kuomintang one-party dictatorship] White Terror, but today pro-independence supporters who are hawkish on the PRC are also used to denounce Kuomintang who is dovish on the PRC.
- Far-right politics#Taiwan (Republic of China)
- Liberal Hawk (United States)
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "勞動黨／「白色恐怖2.0」的真正受害者是人民大眾". ETtoday (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2017-03-20.
- ^ "Beijing Latches Onto 'Green Terror' Claims to Stoke Historical Divisions in Taiwan". The Diplomat. October 2, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ "日本記者本田善彥：民進黨種族主義表露無遺". China Times (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 28 December 2018.
民進黨一旦執政，吸引文青的美好願景就變成噁心的偽善把戲與類法西斯的極右作風。
- ^ a b c "民進黨團挺南韓戒嚴？張啓楷：白色恐怖變綠色恐怖" [DPP supports martial law in South Korea? Chang Chi-kai: White Terror Turns into Green Terror]. 聯合新聞網. December 4, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ "力挺課綱微調 抗獨史陣線嗆「綠色恐怖」". 風傳媒. 2014-03-21. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
- ^ "批賴清德「留小鬍子會像希特勒」鄭運鵬狠酸柯文哲：生病了嗎？". SET News (in Chinese). 30 July 2024.
- ^ "黃國昌：柯文哲陷綠色恐怖 民眾黨不會讓柯家人孤單". 中央社 CNA. February 28, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ "Taiwan ties of Japan's new defence minister Nobuo Kishi spark reaction from China". South China Morning Post. 16 June 2020.
Nobuo Kishi, the younger brother of ex-PM Shinzo Abe, has met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on several occasions ... Kishi is affiliated to the openly-revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi and is a member of a number of other far-right groups
- ^ a b "History and the Possibility of Taiwan-Japan Relations". The Diplomat. 12 September 2014.
The real news came when in mid-August former President Lee Teng-hui – often called the father of the Taiwanese independence movement – applauded Japan's far-right and its effort to reinterpret Article 9, allowing for a more robust Japanese military and hard power-oriented foreign policy.
- ^ "李在明批尹錫悦對中國政策：台灣問題與韓國有甚麼關係？" [Lee Jae-myung criticizes Yoon Seok-yue's China policy: What does the Taiwan issue have to do with South Korea?]. 香港01. March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ a b Thompson, James (4 December 2024). "DPP deletes post comparing South Korea martial law incident to Taiwan". Focus Taiwan – CNA English News. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Thomson, Jono (4 December 2024). "Opposition criticizes DPP for likening S Korea martial law to Taiwan". Taiwan News. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "KMT slams DPP for stance on South Korea martial law". TVBS. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "韓國戒嚴｜民進黨發文力挺製｢綠色恐怖｣ 韓網民：台灣人太瘋狂". HK01. December 4, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ "民進黨團挺南韓戒嚴？張啓楷：白色恐怖變綠色恐怖". 聯合新聞網. December 4, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
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