Entertainer Li Ming-yi defends freedom of speech after backlash over KMT rally support

Taiwanese entertainer Li Ming-yi has spoken out in defense of her freedom of speech after facing online criticism for supporting a KMT rally. The rally, held on May 25th, protested alleged government mishandling of a food safety scandal involving carcinogenic cooking oil. Protesters demanded an apology from President Lai Ching-te and the resignation of Premier Cho Jung-tai.

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Why are you all attacking me? This is my freedom of speech.

Li Ming-yi posted on Facebook on the day of the rally, stating that people were taking to the streets for basic necessities and food safety, not for power. She criticized the government's perceived "double standard," where support for the people's actions is deemed democracy, but opposition is labeled illegal. She questioned why the government refused to admit fault, apologize, or act, while expecting citizens to remain silent.

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People are not taking to the streets to seize power, but for the most basic livelihood and food safety.

Following her post, Li Ming-yi was inundated with critical comments on her Facebook page. In response, she posted again on May 27th, pushing back against the online attacks. "Why are you all attacking me? This is my freedom of speech," she wrote, asserting that others also have the right to express themselves on their own platforms. She emphasized her consistent stance, stating, "I have been consistent from beginning to end, OK."

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If you support it, it's called democracy; if you oppose it, it's called illegal. This is not the rule of law, but a double standard.

She reiterated her belief that the government's actions were not based on rule of law but on a double standard. Li Ming-yi's public support for the rally and her subsequent defense of her right to express her views highlight the ongoing political tensions and debates surrounding government accountability and public discourse in Taiwan.

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The government does not admit mistakes, does not apologize, does not act, but demands that the people shut up, accept, and forget. It's baffling.