A moment of silence on a mid-autumn night to remember Zhang Sen-wen

On July 18, Miaoli County Government forcibly tore down Zhang Pharmacy (張藥房) as well as sections of three other houses belonging to Huang Fu-ji (黃福記), Ke Cheng-fu (柯成福), and Zhe Shu (朱樹). Two months after the forced demolitions, a period of time which saw protestors occupying the Ministry of the Interior (內政部) on August 18, the sad news was released that Zhang Pharmacy boss Zhang Sen-wen (張森文) had been found dead in an irrigation channel.

On news of Zhang’s death, artist and anti-nuclear protestor Guo Ying-xiu (郭盈秀), who has continually paid close attention to the issue of forced evictions, issued a call for people to congregate in Taipei’s Liberty Square at 7.30 p.m., and spend this year’s Mid-autumn Festival in a sit-in protest. Guo, who expressed her deep sadness on hearing the news of Zhang Sen-wen’s death, prepared pens and paper to enable participants to offer their condolences to the Zhang family in the form of a written message or a drawing.

Guo Ying-xiu said she feels extremely repressed by the current system and wishes to remind people not to forget the forced expropriation incident, which was the initial spark eventually leading to Zhang’s death. Guo finished by saying that to ignore or forget such an unfortunate incident would be a real tragedy.

A moment of silence on a mid-autumn night to remember Zhang Sen-wen
URL:https://www.peopo.org/news/218139

(以下為中文對照)
中秋夜紀念張森文 民眾現身默哀

照片

苗栗縣政府在7月18日突襲強拆張藥房的房子，以及部分拆除黃福記、柯成福、朱樹的房舍。強拆滿兩個月後，歷經818公民力量佔領內政部行動，在918傳來不幸的消息：張藥房老闆張森文先生，被發現在水圳溝中溺斃身亡。參與反核運動、發起萬人廢核拍照行動的藝術行動者郭盈秀，同時也關注迫遷議題。她聽到張森文大哥過世的消息，決定在919中秋節這天晚上七點，號召民眾用各種方式，用自己的身體現身表達，到自由廣場靜坐抗議。她也準備紙筆，讓大家留下任何字句圖畫，她會將所有留言都帶給張家，表達致意。郭盈秀說，她聽聞張大哥過世，心中非常的鬱卒。她感覺自己同樣是在這體制中深深的壓迫，她希望大家不要忘記不當的土地徵收導致的迫遷事件，甚至導致了張森文先生的死亡。她說，如果大家忽視遺忘這件不幸的事情，那才是悲劇的開始。