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After British man abused, Taiwan debates its hidden racism
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21 November 2015
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Image copyrightChristopher HallImage captionA Taiwanese man went on a racially motivated tirade against a British man and his Taiwanese girlfriend

Many people in Taiwan thought racism and prejudice didn't exist in their society - until a viral video of a British man and his Taiwanese girlfriend being verbally abused on the subway last week touched off a soul-searching debate that's continued to trend.

Last month, Christopher Raymond Hall and his girlfriend were taking the subway in Taipei when, Hall says, his girlfriend noticed a Taiwanese man staring and mouthing words at her. They moved to the next carriage, but the man followed and began insulting them.

The man, later identified as a Mr Liao, told the couple: "Just look at his ugly face. Just look at you, this kind of whore, with this piece of trash foreigner… The whole of Taiwan despises you."

Liao continued to insult Hall for several minutes, calling him a "loser" who came to Taiwan because he couldn't find a girlfriend back home. Hall tried to ask a series of questions and find out the man's name, without much luck, and when the train stopped, he and his girlfriend got off.

But the girlfriend had filmed the whole conversation. And since Hall, 34, posted the video to YouTube on 11 November, it's been reported on around the world and watched more than 2 million times. Within Taiwan, the debate has brought out deeply held views that aren't often aired.