More than 100,000 people packed into Taipei's Shilin district for a French street theatre performance, and the crush exposed weak crowd planning by the city government — a safety worry ahead of the mayoral race.

• The outdoor show by a French troupe drew over 100,000 locals and tourists, leaving streets jammed and complaints about too few police.
• Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen said big events need advance planning: marked viewing spots, electronic signs to steer people, and staged exits by zone.
• He pointed to South Korea's Itaewon crowd crush as the warning, noting people can faint or get their chests compressed when squeezed in tight.
• He also said city audits show falling sign-ups and hotel participation at recent cultural events, calling for lasting programs instead of one-off spectacles.
• On the separate row over Mayor Chiang Wan-an's son studying abroad, he said children must be protected, but fake accounts traced to Indonesia defending the family suggest someone is running an influence operation.

Outlook: Expect pressure on Taipei's city government to tighten crowd management rules before the next major public event, with the campaign trail keeping the issue alive.