Daegu Queer Culture Festival: Clash between Police and Administrative Authorities Sparks Controversy

2023-06-17 02:26:49

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo is encouraging public officials who are administering the Daegu Queer Culture Festival in the public transportation zone in Jung-gu, Daegu on the morning of the 17th. yunhap news

A situation arose between the police and administrative authorities over the 15th Daegu Queer Culture Festival, which will be held from noon on the 17th. About 500 Daegu City Hall and Jung-gu Office employees came to the site for administrative execution in the public transportation zone in Jung-gu, Daegu, where the festival was held at 7:00 am that day. This is because the organizers of the festival did not obtain permission to occupy roads in the transit mall. In a press release on the 16th, the city of Daegu said, “It is a principle to sternly respond legally to assemblies that have customarily been illegally occupying roads. We ask for normal operation of city buses so that there is no inconvenience to citizens, and Daegu City plans to cooperate with the Jung-gu Office in the event of administrative vicarious execution for traffic obstruction.” Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo visited the transit mall that day and said, “I will hold the head of the Daegu Police Agency accountable for causing a clash between public officials. Police shoved officials and restricted bus traffic to protect illegal road-occupation protests. The court ruled that there were no restrictions on assemblies and demonstrations, but it did not order them to occupy public roads that were not permitted to occupy.” He said, “I consulted with the police several times, but I don’t understand how they interpret the law this way. A police officer in the era of Moon Jae-in would have done that, but the world has changed. The era of illegal gatherings is over,” he added. At the same time, the Daegu Police Agency deployed a total of 1,500 people, including 20 companies of riot police, 1,300 people, and 200 traffic police and general staff. While the city of Daegu has decided not to take measures to detour city buses, the police are providing traffic guidance to general drivers, such as detour measures, and to prevent anti-festival rallies and clashes and notices of administrative execution by City Hall and Jung-gu Office. The Daegu Police Agency said, “This is an assembly reported under the Assembly and Demonstration Act, and the police will safely manage the assembly and respond strictly to violations of the law during the assembly. In addition, we will minimize inconvenience by deploying sufficient traffic police for anticipated traffic congestion.”

On the morning of the 17th, Daegu City officials are confronting police officers who are directing traffic to enter the Daegu Queer Culture Festival host stage vehicle in the public transportation zone in Jung-gu, Daegu City. yunhap news

Daegu City has defined the queer culture festival as ‘illegal’, but there are responses that Daegu City’s measures are unreasonable. In a phone call with the Hankyoreh, a police officer said, “Queer festivals must be legally reported and accepted and protected legally. Even if a road occupation permit was not obtained, it cannot be a legitimate reason (for administrative vicarious execution). Looking at the special case for the application of administrative vicarious execution under Article 74 of the Road Act, if it is necessary to repeatedly and habitually occupy a road or to take necessary measures quickly to secure road traffic and safety, administrative vicarious execution can be carried out, but this is not the case.” . The Jung-gu branch of the Daegu Regional Headquarters of the National Public Officials Union, made up of officials from the Jung-gu Office, also issued a statement on the 16th, saying, “It is the judgment of the Constitution and the court not to block legally reported assemblies, and the police will also control traffic for the safety of citizens, but only Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo. They are pampered by mongni, spitting out the words of this discrimination and hatred. Daegu City continued to pressure the Jung-gu Office through the deputy district chief to immediately remove booths and other facilities once they were installed at the event venue. The public servants union resolutely opposes the forced mobilization of employees, and the public servants union will take the lead in stopping the enforcement of administrative vicarious execution.” The organizing committee for the 15th Daegu Queer Culture Festival also said, “The Daegu Queer Culture Festival held in the transit zone for the past four years has been conducted safely and peacefully. (Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo) is no different from trying to undermine the freedom of assembly and mobilize his power to stop it. It is to reveal to the whole world that he no longer has the qualifications as the mayor of Daegu, and the shame is the responsibility of the citizens of Daegu. The organizing committee will make every effort to protect the Daegu Queer Culture Festival against the physical force of illegal administrative execution by public officials who are trying to damage the festival.” On the other hand, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo has posted on his Facebook page several times since the 8th that he opposes the queer festival. On the 15th, the 20th Civil Division of the Daegu District Court (Judge Kim Kwang-jin) dismissed an application for a provisional injunction to ban the assembly filed by the Dongseong-ro Merchant Association and the Daegu Christian Federation against the Organizing Committee for the 15th Daegu Queer Culture Festival.