While there is no significantneo-Nazi movement other than onenational socialism association officially founded inTaiwan, the use ofNazi symbolism and imagery in the country has been observed throughout the years, often causing controversy.[1][2] These occasions include a Nazi-themed parade at a school,[3] restaurants serving dishes honoring Nazis,[4] or displaying Nazi-related pictures and other decor,[5] which led to public outcries.
In 1999, an advertisement for electric heaters made in Germany featured a smiling cartoon version ofAdolf Hitler doing theNazi salute. The slogan on the ad read “對寒流宣戰!” ("duì hánliú xuānzhàn"), meaning "Declare war on the cold front!"[6]
Aconcentration camp-themed diner called “Jail” opened in Taipei, Taiwan. Besides a mural depicting death camp victims behind barbed wire, the decoration also featured various smaller photos of internees and other items such as shackles andmug shots, intended to give visitors a sense of eating in a jail; the restrooms were namedgas chambers.
Later, the restaurant's owner issued an apology, stating that Taiwanese people were not as aware of the historical context and therefore not as sensitive to it.[5]
TheDemocratic Progressive Party published a campaign advertisement “嗆聲新世代” ("qiāngshēng xīn shìdài"), meaning "The New Generation who dares to speak", featuring an image of Hitler. They claimed the characters chosen for this campaign dared people to speak their minds, hoping to achieve a higher involvement of young people in politics.
Several days after the release of the commercial and extensive criticism from various sources, it was taken down. Before the posters were removed, a disclaimer was added next to Hitler's image reading "獨裁造成災難," which translates to "Dictatorship causes disaster."[7]
TheKuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party, KMT) used a photo of Hitler in an election campaign advertisement in a newspaper to compare then-PresidentChen Shui-bian to the Germandictator. According to the commercial, President Chen shared some character traits with Hitler and was trying to oppress political opponents just like a dictator would.[8]
TheNational Socialism Association (NSA) was founded by Taiwanese university graduates. They were inspired by the Nazis' views on immigration and their strong military. The NSA claims that they are neitherracist norantisemitic;[2][1] they also denied honoring Hitler.[9]
During the "Iron Armour Combat Camp" in 2011, a photo of three students wearing Nazi uniforms was posted on the official website of theMinistry of National Defense. This incident ultimately led to an official apology to the Israeli representatives in Taiwan.[10]
Taiwan's7-Eleven convenience stores drew condemnation for selling Hitler themed toy dolls.[11][12]
In an anti-gay parade, a person dressed as a Nazi was waving a sign that said "Nazis were anti-gay; I am anti-gay." The spokesperson for theMinistry of Foreign Affairs expressed that Taiwan is ademocratic country and that one person's actions do not represent the government's standpoint.[13]
A public display of aircraft and weapons was held atChing Chuan Kang Air Base (Taichung International Airport), during which some vendors woreswastika armbands without any authorization from the officials.[14]
An Italian restaurant inNew Taipei City put "Nazi Wansui" (roughly translated as “Long Live the Nazis”) Noodles and Pizza on their menu. In an apology, the owner of the restaurant explained that they chose the name to emphasize the origin of the dish's main ingredient, German sausage, after which he changed the dish's name.[15]
For the anniversary ofHsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School, a homeroom class held a Nazi-themed parade. The students and their teacher were dressed inNazi uniforms, wavingNazi flags. The German and Israeli representatives reacted with shock and horror. The students were largely not blamed, but both the teacher and the government were.[16]
A high school inHsinchu accidentally installed a Nazi-appropriated swastika in their school pond instead of the intended Buddhist symbol. As a temporary fix, they placed plants over the swastika.[17] Generally, the Buddhist community has been trying to reappropriate the swastika, which was supposed to be a peace symbol before it was corrupted by Hitler.[18]
In another incident, a hair salon had their shop sign designed with razor blades arranged in a swastika shape. The owner was reported several times but stated that he couldn't afford to change it.[19]
A man was seen waving a Nazi flag in front of a European school in Taipei. Israeli andEuropean Union institutions reacted with concern, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement urging the population to respect others' feelings.[20]
On 21 June 2024, a small group of protesters holding the Nazi flags appeared in front of theLegislative Yuan demanding to recover the unnamedold German Mark bonds that theEmpire of Japan had obtained fromGermany duringWorld War I. The same organization had paraded against theGerman Institute Taipei in theTaipei 101 building in 2018 and marched with Nazi flags around the German athlete team in the2017 Summer Universiade. Lawyer and international political observer Ross Feingold, founder of a Jewish association in Taipei, commented that it was a ridiculous historical mistake, notfreedom of speech, and therefore the government shouldn't turn a blind eye to it.[21][22]
On 15 April 2025, Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑, alternative spelling: Song Jianliang), an allegedKMT youth corps member leading themass electoral recall campaigns, was under investigation for involvement in forging a recall petition.[23][24] On the way being summoned to theNew Taipei District Prosecutors Office [zh] for questioning, he wore aNazi armband, held a copy ofMein Kampf, kept shouting "Sieg Heil!" and raisingNazi salutes, then cursed the opponentDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) as plague, while KMT supporter crowd cheered up with slogans.[25][26]German Institute Taipei,Israel economic and cultural representative [zh],Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DPPparliament members andPresidentLai Ching-te condemned the incident.[27][28][29][30][31]Chairman of the Kuomintang,Eric Chu, at first declined to reply with denouncement and commented that "Every way is a satire to DPP's vicious Green communists' dictatorship" next day, but changed tone under high criticism hours later as "firmly opposing the Nazis andfascism".[32][33] KMT youth corps also issued the "Opposing disgraceful political symbols; Supporting deepened democratic participation" statement and Song never been its member.[34][35] However, sources revealed that it is a widely known fact within Taipei high school circles that Sung has long idolized fascism, particularly Nazi ideology and symbolism, dating back to his high school years.[36]
According to researchers, Nazi incidents in Taiwan are usually considered consequences of a lack of knowledge and ignorance on the subject.[37] On the Index of Ignorance, Taiwan is deemed the third most ignorant country.[38] On various social media sites, it has since been discussed whether Taiwanese students should be expected to have the same sensitivity regarding theHolocaust and Hitler's actions as German and Israeli students.
Both Germany's and Israel's envoys in Taiwan have spoken out after multiple events, calling the use of Nazi symbolism disrespectful to Jewish people while also stating it displayed Taiwan's ignorance of history.[39] In response to those events and the backlash that ensued, the Taiwanese government is trying to educate the population. In 2018, a Holocaust memorial was held in Taipei in hopes of raising awareness.[40]
Specifically regarding the 2016 Hsinchu School Parade, some users have expressed their lack of understanding of the harsh criticism directed at the students.[41] Some believed there seemed to be no particular form of hate against the Jewish community leading these events.[42] Afterward, PresidentTsai Ing-wen delivered a speech stating that "adults, not students" were responsible. She also acknowledged that it was the result of the nation’s "superficial" human rights education and a failure to teach young people about the state's repression of rights in the past.[43]
In May 2023, the international news television networkFrance 24 focused one of their “Truth or Fake” episodes on the pictures posted online of Taiwanese people using Nazi symbolism.[44]
