Taipei club Pawnshop considers legal action after latest police raid
- PublishedThu, Aug 31, 2023, 16:05
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- This is the 12th unannounced inspection since May.
- More than 30 police officers raided Taipei club Pawnshop without a warrant in the early hours of Sunday, August 27th. Speaking to Resident Advisor, venue owner Zhang Junhao said this is the 12th "surprise inspection" in three months. He and his team are now considering legal action, starting with an official complaint against the police chief who led Sunday's raid without a warrant. He's unsure if other venues are being targeted in the same way. "We strongly oppose any unlawful law enforcement actions," venue owner Junghao told RA. "So we're filing complaints with higher authorities to help safeguard Pawnshop's rights." The raid took place at 3:30 AM during LGBTQIA+ party Hakone Hotspring. The previous night, the police had also turned up unannounced. At that event, police chief Huo Jianyuan was filmed threatening to return the next day. In the video, now posted to social media, Jianyuan is seen speaking to camera. "Just keep filming," he said. "I'm very handsome, so it's okay to record me. Zhang Junhao, you wait. I'll definitely come tomorrow. I will show up for the Hakone Hotspring event. This is an early notice that I will show up tomorrow. For those who are interested in the Hakone Hotspring event, be prepared to see us cops. And I'll make sure to show up after 3:30 AM. We're all waiting." According to national newspaper UDN, the police's targeting of Pawnshop is part of a so-called "youth programme," which aims to shield young people from nefarious activities, including drugs, crime and violence. Pawnshop's legal statement–which has been seen by RA–says that Saturday's intrusion lacked the legal basis for an inspection, violating Article 128 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. It says that the police also violated Article 6 of the Police Powers Exercise Act by arriving without a warrant and conducting an "unauthorised search" during "operational hours" on Sunday. In the statement, the police said they found a bag with "unidentified powder residue allegedly resembling cathinone,"a substance with similar properties to amphetamine but less potent. They also took a member of staff away for interrogation at Anhe Road Police Station in Da'an, the same neighbourhood as the venue. Police officers "rifled through the company's belongings, seriously impacting operations, which is "a violation of "constitutional protections of personal liberty and property rights," the statement says. The police inspections of Pawnshop have intensified in the past month, rising from one or two per month to four in August. A representative from the club's legal team told RA the police only need to have a "reasonable suspicion" before turning up, which means that "every inspection is a 'surprise inspection.'" Venue owner Junhao said Pawnshop "fully supports law enforcement efforts, has zero tolerance for drugs and always carries thorough searches at the entrance of every event." As such, he continued, the reason for the inspections remains unclear. "We've been targeted since May this year, right after the new chief started running Anhe Road Police Station," he added. "Maybe this is just the start before they start doing the same to others." After Sunday's raid, Pawnshop posted a statement via social media, which you can read in full.
- Sat, Aug 26, 2023
Hakone Hotspring
Gemnital, Jesse Chen, UMBRA