Freddy Lim Speaks at World Village Festival, Urges Resistance to Authoritarianism with Exiled Burmese Artist
(CNA, Helsinki, May 17, by reporter Wu Chi-lin) Taiwan's representative to Finland, Freddy Lim, was invited to speak at the World Village Festival in Helsinki, a festival with over 30 years of history, on the 17th.
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(CNA, Helsinki, May 17, by reporter Wu Chi-lin) Taiwan's representative to Finland, Freddy Lim, was invited to speak at the World Village Festival in Helsinki, a festival with over 30 years of history, on the 17th. He discussed Taiwan's transition from authoritarianism to democracy and its experience in combating China's cognitive warfare, and joined an exiled Burmese artist and filmmaker, May, in calling for resistance against authoritarianism.
The World Village Festival, organized by the NGO federation Fingo, has been held since 1995. It is Finland's largest and most iconic annual international civil society event, attracting civil society groups, artists, and activists from around the world to Helsinki.
Lim delivered his speech in English at the Bio Rex stage, titled "From Suppression to Freedom: The Fight Against Digital Control."
He played a video of his band, Chthonic, performing at last year's Megaport Festival in Kaohsiung, showing him and his bandmates shirtless, screaming on stage to a沸騰 crowd of tens of thousands. After the video, the suit-clad Lim walked forward and said, "Yes, that was me. But don't expect me to take off my clothes and do death growls here," starting his speech on a light note.
He then delved into the historical context of Taiwan's transition from authoritarianism to democracy: a 38-year martial law period where publications required government censorship, songs in Taiwanese were strictly restricted, and artists deemed subversive faced the constant threat of imprisonment.
He pointed out that authoritarian governments suppress art because art carries messages and empowers people. After decades of struggle, in which artists played a key role, Taiwan completed its democratic transition in the 1990s. Today, Taiwan's democracy ranks among the top in Asia, and in 2019, it became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
He shifted his focus, stating that the current threat is no longer just tanks and guns, but the more insidious cognitive warfare.
He said that China has industrialized information manipulation, continuously spreading the simple narrative of "democracy is failing" through the internet and media, quietly eroding Taiwanese society from within. The 2022 incident where screens at several convenience stores and roadside billboards were hacked to display political propaganda slogans is a microcosm of this digital infiltration. He also noted that China has leveraged large language models to expand its disinformation campaigns globally, targeting democratic societies from the Philippines and India to Lithuania and the Czech Republic.
In his speech, Lim shared the stage with May (a pseudonym), an exiled Burmese artist and filmmaker. To protect her identity, May appeared wearing a half-face helmet. She described the situation in Myanmar after the coup: murals were painted over within days, six poets were killed in the first two years, and China exported surveillance technology to help the military junta track dissidents. "This is not just about cutting off communication, but about eliminating witnesses."
May invited Lim and the audience to raise three fingers together. This gesture, originating from the movie "The Hunger Games" and widely adopted by pro-democracy movements in Southeast Asia, has now crossed borders to become a symbol of anti-totalitarianism.
Lim told a CNA reporter that the organizers had initially given him two options: a solo speech or a collaboration with May. He chose the latter without hesitation. Because during his past involvement in international human rights work, Myanmar had always been a primary focus of support, he deeply empathized with May's situation. "Instead of me speaking alone, it's better to let a victim from the front lines speak."
He said this also echoes the core message of his speech: "We are witnessing the value of democracy being eroded around the world."
Last week, Lim also gave in-depth interviews to several Finnish media outlets, including "Iltalehti" and "Maailman Kuvalehti." The former focused on Taiwan's situation during the Trump-Xi Beijing summit, while the latter delved into art, disinformation, and democratic resilience. (Editor: Chen Hui-ping) 1150518
The World Village Festival, organized by the NGO federation Fingo, has been held since 1995. It is Finland's largest and most iconic annual international civil society event, attracting civil society groups, artists, and activists from around the world to Helsinki.
Lim delivered his speech in English at the Bio Rex stage, titled "From Suppression to Freedom: The Fight Against Digital Control."
He played a video of his band, Chthonic, performing at last year's Megaport Festival in Kaohsiung, showing him and his bandmates shirtless, screaming on stage to a沸騰 crowd of tens of thousands. After the video, the suit-clad Lim walked forward and said, "Yes, that was me. But don't expect me to take off my clothes and do death growls here," starting his speech on a light note.
He then delved into the historical context of Taiwan's transition from authoritarianism to democracy: a 38-year martial law period where publications required government censorship, songs in Taiwanese were strictly restricted, and artists deemed subversive faced the constant threat of imprisonment.
He pointed out that authoritarian governments suppress art because art carries messages and empowers people. After decades of struggle, in which artists played a key role, Taiwan completed its democratic transition in the 1990s. Today, Taiwan's democracy ranks among the top in Asia, and in 2019, it became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
He shifted his focus, stating that the current threat is no longer just tanks and guns, but the more insidious cognitive warfare.
He said that China has industrialized information manipulation, continuously spreading the simple narrative of "democracy is failing" through the internet and media, quietly eroding Taiwanese society from within. The 2022 incident where screens at several convenience stores and roadside billboards were hacked to display political propaganda slogans is a microcosm of this digital infiltration. He also noted that China has leveraged large language models to expand its disinformation campaigns globally, targeting democratic societies from the Philippines and India to Lithuania and the Czech Republic.
In his speech, Lim shared the stage with May (a pseudonym), an exiled Burmese artist and filmmaker. To protect her identity, May appeared wearing a half-face helmet. She described the situation in Myanmar after the coup: murals were painted over within days, six poets were killed in the first two years, and China exported surveillance technology to help the military junta track dissidents. "This is not just about cutting off communication, but about eliminating witnesses."
May invited Lim and the audience to raise three fingers together. This gesture, originating from the movie "The Hunger Games" and widely adopted by pro-democracy movements in Southeast Asia, has now crossed borders to become a symbol of anti-totalitarianism.
Lim told a CNA reporter that the organizers had initially given him two options: a solo speech or a collaboration with May. He chose the latter without hesitation. Because during his past involvement in international human rights work, Myanmar had always been a primary focus of support, he deeply empathized with May's situation. "Instead of me speaking alone, it's better to let a victim from the front lines speak."
He said this also echoes the core message of his speech: "We are witnessing the value of democracy being eroded around the world."
Last week, Lim also gave in-depth interviews to several Finnish media outlets, including "Iltalehti" and "Maailman Kuvalehti." The former focused on Taiwan's situation during the Trump-Xi Beijing summit, while the latter delved into art, disinformation, and democratic resilience. (Editor: Chen Hui-ping) 1150518