More than 100,000 people protested outside the main building of Taiwan's parliament in Taipei on Friday, demanding transparency of the legislative process and expressing concerns about the erosion of democracy.
The protest gained momentum just three days after the last demonstration conducted by 30,000 people on Tuesday, when lawmakers were discussing controversial bills, including the expansion of the legislature's investigative powers.
On Friday, people again expressed their worries about what they see as a dysfunctional legislature and the violation of procedures by China-friendly opposition parties, including the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP).
Demonstrators displayed banners and signs condemning the collaboration between the opposition and the Chinese Communist Party, which they say is trying to infiltrate society in Taiwan.
"I protested 10 years ago here to defend democracy. Now I have to return here to show my daughter that people’s voices have to be heard," a 42-year-old mother with her 8-year-old daughter told dpa on the sidelines of the protest.
Inside the conference hall, for more than 12 hours, lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) - which holds the presidency - protested and expressed their dissatisfaction by hanging banners reading “No discussion, no democracy.” Lawmakers from the opposition, which form the majority in parliament, insisted that they were promoting reforms.
In many cities, thousands of people also gathered to support Friday's protest in the capital.