Taipei mayor defends city's inclusivity after gay bar raid

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an on Monday defended the city as welcoming and inclusive after a police raid of a gay bar sparked protests by the LGBTQ+ community over alleged discrimination and official misconduct.



One video of the weekend raid that circulated on social media showed a police officer asking a customer in a wheelchair who was in the toilet how disabled people "manage to have sex in there".



Chiang, who faces reelection next month, said he deeply regretted "improper conduct" by police.



Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage in 2019 in a first for Asia and is normally a bastion of tolerance in a region where LGBTQ+ rights are often suppressed or outlawed.



Taipei holds its main Pride event later this month, the largest in East Asia.



Taipei police raided the Commander D bar in the city's main gay neighbourhood of Ximen on Saturday afternoon, citing a complaint alleging the bar could be violating public decency laws.



They took 51 people in for questioning and arrested the owner. Police said on Sunday they had taken disciplinary action against officers for "inappropriate conduct" during the operation, without elaborating.