After concluding his trip to Israel and returning to Taiwan, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has talked about his reflection upon visiting Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, saying that the Nazi massacres of 6 million Jewish victims are, till this day, the biggest talking point from the Jewish community on the international stage. His words have drawn some backlash from netizens. Prior to setting off on February 28 from Taipei for a commemorative bike ride to Kaohsiung, Ko explained his points and said that remembering the painful event is part of the reason why people in Israel are so united.


Dressed in a tricolor cycling suit, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je sets off on the morning of February 28 from Taipei's Guandu Temple. And he's joined by over 100 other cyclists. This is Ko's second cross-island cycling trip that commemorates the 228 Incident. This trip is considerably shorter than the one in 2016, for it removes the ride from Hsinchu to Chiayi. Some ask Ko whether he has shortened the trip to make it easier on himself.

The reason (for cutting the trip short) is that we need to make it back to Taipei to take part in a commemorative event. We were wondering whether we really should set off today, and we decided to do so because people believe (a bike ride) on February 228 is very meaningful. Since we need to take part in the event, we've trimmed down the trip to ride just from both ends.

Ko believes that, although February 28 is a painful day, but people should look at it in a positive way after 71 years. One day earlier, Ko was criticized by many when he said that the Jewish community is still raising awareness on the international stage about the Nazi massacre of 6 million Jewish people. He explained his words during the interview saying that keeping the painful experience alive is a reason why Israel is a highly united country.

Those weren't careless words, because it was indeed a tragic period in history. Between 1933, when Hitler took power, to 1945, the Jewish were almost eradicated by the Nazi during the 12-year span, especially during the last three years. I found that Israel has turned the event into an important piece of material for education and for promotion on the global stage.

Ko believes Taiwan could learn a lot from Israel. In terms of global politics, many believe Israel has clear leaning towards the U.S. Ko, who's scheduled to travel to America in March, says that the Jewish community has a big presence in the U.S., and it is actually America that leans towards Israel.