3-18 Student Movement

2014 台灣三月學運

On March 18 around 9:00 p.m. local time, crowds of students, academics, civic organizations and other protestors climbed over the fence at the legislature and entered the building. They occupied the meeting chamber.

3/18

Students piled up chairs and blocked the doors to prevent several attempts by the police to expel them.

3/18

The police tried to assault before dawn on March 19.

3/19

Students from over 100 colleges gathered and sat in outside the Legislative Yuan. Professors gave lectures on democracy, economy, trade, and civics outside the Legislative Yuan for days.

3/20

President Ma Ying-jeou called for a high-level meeting on ending the occupation.

3/20

More and more students and citizens gathered. The student leaders made several rules for all to follow and insisted the nonviolence principle.

3/21

Medical team stationed in to provide medical service. Lawyers were ready to provide legal consultation as well.

Students broadcasted live from the meeting chamber and outside the Legislative Yuan to prevent media blackening.

President hosted an international press conference. Dissatisfied with Ma’s repeated claims, the students presented four demands.

3/23

In response to the press conference, a group of protesters stormed and occupied the Executive Yuan around 7:30 p.m. local time on March 23. In response to the press conference, a group of protesters stormed and occupied the Executive Yuan around 7:30 p.m. local time on March 23.

3/23

The protesters were evicted from the Executive Yuan by 5:00 a.m. on March 24, but some congregated again on Zhongxiao East Road. During the 10-hour eviction process, around 1000 riot police and other law enforcement personnel allegedly used excessive force, including water cannon and baton strikes to the head against the nonviolent protesters, while journalists and medics were ordered to leave.

3/24

Premier Jiang denied bloody and violent suppression. Cross-party negotiation failed.

3/24

Netizens raised NT$6.3 million in 3 hours to run advertisement in the New York Times.

3/25

Third cross-party negotiation failed. Students decided to prolong and strengthen a stouter resistance.

The movement's anthem Island’s Sunrise (島嶼天光) by the indie band Fire Ex (滅火器樂團) recorded.

3/27

The full-page advertisement “Democracy at 4am” was published in International New York Times.

3/29

The other newspaper advertisement on a local

Around 500,000 people massed in the March 30 rally filling the Ketagalan Boulevard leading from the Presidential Office to the legislature in order to put pressure on President Ma to heed the demonstrators' demands. 3/30

The police estimated the number of crowds to be only 116,000. It is believed that the actual number is far beyond the police’s estimation.

3/30

The students requested a citizens’ constitutional conference but the Executive Yuan downgraded it to a national affairs conference on economy and trade.

3/31

On April 1, hundreds of pro-China activists supporting the trade pact rallied against the parliament seizure. The group was organized by Chang An-lo, a prominent Taiwanese gang leader also known as "White Wolf", who is on bail after being arrested on his return to Taiwan from China.

4/01

Netizens launched a campaign on the Internet to recall KMT legislators for they only follow President Ma’s will instead the people’s.

4/05

On April 6, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng visited the occupied parliament chamber and promised to postpone review of the trade pact until legislation monitoring all cross-strait agreements has been passed. 4/06

President Ma and KMT legislators were shocked and embarrassed by Wang’s statement.

In response to the April 6th concessions from Speaker Wang, the protesters held a press conference on April 7 stating they would vacate the Legislative Yuan on April 10 at 6 p.m. local time, which they eventually did, and also to continue the movement in the broader Taiwan society.

4/06

Pro-China media estimated the repair bill of the Legislative Yuan to be as high as NT$100 million. Netizens set up a "318 Repair the Legislative Yuan" corps of volunteers to recruit volunteers including architects, technicians , plumbers and electricians to help with the job of cleaning up and repairing the meeting chamber in short order.

4/08~09

The student protesters walked out of the Legislative Yuan holding sunflowers, which have come to symbolize the movement, surrounded by crowds of reporters and other protesters. Crowds had largely dwindled by midnight, with nudging by riot police.

4/10

Overseas Taiwanese in 49 cities in 17 countries have demonstrated in support of the student movement. Sunflowers are everywhere.

Ireland - Dublin

Hong Kong

Italy - Milan London

St. Louis, United States Washington D.C.

Boston Seattle

Paris, FranceLyon, France

Montreal, Canada

Brussels, Belgium

Tokyo, Japan

Kyoto, JapanBarcelona, Spain

Valencia, SpainVancouver, Canada

Chicago

New York Strasbourg, France