(Image source: BBC)
BY JOHN O'CONNOR
Lawmakers in Taiwan took the term "political battle" to a whole new level Friday morning
after an all-out brawl took over the floor of the country's parliament.
They stopped trading political blows in favor of real ones as a highly contentious debate
over the construction of a nuclear power plant got a little too heated.
(Via Fox News)
Lawmakers also doused each other with water.
Activists at the back of the room even tied the chamber doors shut, as if to signify no
one would be leaving until they "hammered" this issue out.
(Via BBC)
The debate was over whether Taiwan should finish construction on its fourth nuclear
power plant.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Taiwan's Nationalist party holds the majority of parliament
and favors the plant's construction, but the country's Democratic Progressive Party has
long opposed nuclear power ...
... pointing to safety concerns in the wake of Japan's 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima,
which saw the release of radioactive materials after an earthquake and tsunami triggered
a nuclear meltdown at the plant there.
(Via YouTube / RussiaToday)
Taiwan was once notorious for big brawls, however the last few years have been peaceful,
with legislators solving issues using their words instead of their fists.
But, The Telegraph points out that in 2013, Taiwan has returned to its old ways.
Earlier this year, they got physical with each other over a different issue — capital
tax gains.
So how does Taiwan's latest bench-clearer stack-up against some of the best parliamentary
brawls across the world?
Let's take a look.
In 2009, South Korea's parliament descended into chaos after several female lawmakers
got into it over a disputed media bill — grappling each other and screaming at the top of their
lungs.
(Via YouTube / HalbertisNewsBank)
But it is Ukraine that takes the cake when it comes to parliamentary battle royales.
Earlier this year, lawmakers exchanged powerful punches, and even used rotten eggs as weapons.
Luckily, umbrellas were on hand.
(Via MSNBC)