Writer Wang Qingmin's response to the Frankfurt Book Fair's forced expulsion and indefinite ban
Frankfurt Book Fair Organizers:
I am Wang Qingmin, a writer and social activist living in Germany. I received a letter from the Frankfurt Book Fair, informing me that I can no longer participate in book fair activities in 2024 and beyond, and the ban is indefinite.
First of all, I understand and respect the decision of the Frankfurt Book Fair organizers. It is understandable that you made such a decision in order to maintain order. Before I protested, I was mentally prepared to suffer such a ban and more severe punishment.
But I also need to explain my behavior and refute your ban.
On October 18, 2024, I displayed posters and shouted slogans in front of the Japanese exhibition area in Hall 5.1 of the Frankfurt Book Fair to protest the pressure exerted by the Japanese government on the German government and oppose and protest the demolition of the statue commemorating the "comfort women" in World War II. In addition, the slogans I shouted also include the hope that people will remember the war crimes such as the Nanjing Massacre committed by Japan during World War II, the development and use of chemical weapons and bacteriological weapons by the Japanese Army's "Unit 731".
During World War II, Japan, an ally of Nazi Germany, committed extremely heinous war crimes in China, the Korean Peninsula, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands, including the massacre of prisoners of war and civilians, the rape of women and girls, abuse and torture, the use of chemical weapons, and the killing of children, which broke the bottom line of humanity.
Among them, Japan killed and in other cruel ways caused death 16 million to 21 million Chinese (in addition, more than 10 million Chinese were disabled in the war), which is about three times the number of Jews massacred by the Nazis (about 6 million). Japan also committed the Nanjing Massacre, a huge crime of massacring modern urban residents that was rare after the 20th century. In Nanjing, the capital of China at that time, 200,000 to 400,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese army, and at least tens of thousands of Chinese women and children were raped by the Japanese army. This is recorded in "The Rape of Nanking" by Chinese-American writer Ms. Iris Chunru Chang, "The Good Man of Nanking" by German businessman Mr. John Rabe, "The Diary of Minnie Vautrin" by American missionary Ms. Minnie Vautrin, and many other books and works.
During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Chinese women and underage girls were forcibly recruited by Japan as sex slaves (i.e. "comfort women"), who were raped and gang-raped for years and suffered humiliation. At the end of the war, many "comfort women" were killed. At the same time, millions of Chinese laborers were forcibly transported to Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Manchuria (Northeast China), and various Japanese military bases in mainland China, where they were forced to serve the Japanese and the war of aggression, and were forced to work. Many died in mines. In addition to the Chinese, there were also a large number of forcibly recruited "comfort women" (sex slaves) and forced laborers in Korea/the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia, all of whom were victims of Japanese militarism.
After World War II, Japan did not reflect on its war crimes like Germany did, nor did it actively eliminate the existence of Japanese militarism and racism similar to the Nazis in all corners of politics, ideology, and society. On the contrary, the Japanese right-wing forces (including the government and the public) continue to glorify war crimes and visit the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines millions of soldiers in the war of aggression. Many Japanese intellectuals and their books, film and television dramas, and media also generally glorify the war of aggression and avoid Japan's war crimes. On the one hand, Japan exaggerates the tragedy of the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but on the other hand, it remains silent about the killing of many people (including women and children) in China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia by the Japanese army, and even denies crimes against humanity such as the Nanjing Massacre. (Although some Japanese and intellectuals reflect on historical crimes, they only account for a minority of Japanese)
Not only did Japan not commemorate the victims of countries such as China and South Korea like Germany commemorated the Holocaust, it also prevented other countries from commemorating. For example, the "comfort women" statues in Berlin, Kassel and other places in Germany were pressured to be removed by Japan (the "comfort women" statue in Kassel has been removed, the attempt to erect a "comfort women" statue in Freiburg has failed, and the "comfort women" statue in Berlin is also in danger). Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida personally asked German Chancellor Scholz to remove the "comfort women" statue in Berlin.
Based on the anger at Japan's war crimes, the post-war Japanese government and the majority of the public's refusal to repent (even glorifying the war of aggression), I decided to hold a series of protests at the Frankfurt Book Fair and other occasions to protest Japan's brutal acts in history and the new ugly acts that Japan is doing today.
Of course, I also hope to express and protest in a peaceful, gentle, and law-abiding way. But such channels are missing. Even if there is such an expression, it is blocked by the Japanese government. For example, the "comfort women" statue is a peaceful expression, but it was pressured to be removed by Japan. Japan also pressured the German government and human rights organizations to stop funding the organization that hosted the "comfort women" statue event.
In Berlin, Germany, there are huge memorial facilities commemorating the Jewish Holocaust, such as the Holocaust Memorial in the center of Berlin. There are also many museums and monuments across Germany to commemorate the lives of Jews and other people killed by the Nazis. The German government and most political parties have also emphasized that the history of the Nazi massacre of Jews must be reflected forever, without end and time limit. Even after 80 years, it cannot be forgotten with the passage of time. But Japan prevents the world from commemorating the victims from China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia who were victims of the Japanese invasion war.
That's why I took drastic actions, shouting slogans and displaying posters. And I still protested in a peaceful way, without using violence. It was the police who used violence against me (although I can understand it as well). Compared with the war crimes such as massacres and rapes committed by Japan during World War II and the harm to war survivors that continues to this day, isn't it completely justifiable for me to shout a few slogans and display some posters? Do you ignore Japan's massacre of tens of millions of people and refuse to apologize, but are you particularly repulsive to my protest for justice?
As an exhibition that showcases human achievements, helps countries communicate, and promotes world peace and progress, the Frankfurt Book Fair should tolerate and encourage voices calling for justice and peace. What I did was for justice and peace, for those who died without a voice, and for those who were powerless to shout. I came to the Frankfurt Book Fair not just for political protests, but also visited many book fair booths and read many books.
Before I was expelled from the exhibition hall, I saw the Ukrainian pavilion at the book fair displaying the atrocities of the Russian army during the Russo-Ukrainian War in a prominent position, such as burnt Ukrainian children's books and destroyed literary classics during the war, as well as text and picture displays of other atrocities of the Russian army, as well as speeches, narrations, and interactions with visitors by people from all walks of life in Ukraine.
You allow Ukrainians to express their anger at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and to display the atrocities of the Russian army and the suffering of Ukrainians inside the book fair hall. Then why can't the Chinese also want to display the atrocities during the Japanese invasion of China and the suffering of the Chinese people during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression? Is this a double standard?
As a writer, I write and campaign for human rights issues in China, and I cry out for the dignity of the Chinese people. But I was expelled from the Frankfurt Book Fair, which claims to be inclusive and promote human progress. This is unfair and should not happen. If a Jew protests against the crimes of Nazi Germany at the Frankfurt Book Fair, would you expel him?
The German government says that Germany (and the German people) have a "special responsibility" to the Jews and need to atone for history. So should the German government also have a "special responsibility" to the Chinese and Korean people who were harmed by Japan, an ally of Nazi Germany, and provide necessary convenience and tolerance for them to commemorate history and the victims?
During World War II, Nazi Germany assisted Japanese militarism (or vice versa, Japanese militarism assisted Nazi Germany) and jointly committed horrific war crimes. So shouldn't the German government, social groups, and every German today treat the Chinese people who were harmed by Japan, an ally of Nazi Germany, and the related protests of the Chinese people with the same "special responsibility" as they do to the Jews? (Of course, Japan and the Japanese should bear the "special responsibility" for China and the Chinese, but Japan not only did not do so, but also intensified the harm to the Chinese. I hope that the Germans will not be accomplices of the Japanese as they did in 1939-1945)
Now the organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair and German police and other German people treat the Chinese who protested against Japanese militarism badly, and expelled me at the request of the Japanese side (after I was controlled by the police, I saw with my own eyes that the Japanese pavilion staff talked with the police and the book fair staff, roughly saying that I had also protested against Japan at the book fair in 2023, and other bad things). Is it a replay of the cooperation between the Nazis and Japanese militarism during World War II in another form? Is it covering up the historical crimes jointly committed by the Nazis and the Japanese army during World War II? Of course, I know that what happened today is very different from what happened 80 years ago (during World War II) in terms of the degree and method of badness, but this is obviously a similar and bad continuation of history.
During World War II, there were also Germans who gave selfless help to the Chinese. During the Nanjing Massacre caused by Japan from 1937 to 1938, German Mr. John Rabe was in Nanjing, China. Mr. John Rabe saved the lives of thousands of Chinese (including women and children) from the bayonets and guns of the Japanese army. Mr. Rabe showed noble qualities such as courage, sense of justice, and humanitarian spirit. He is a great man and the Oskar Schindler of the East. Such Germans are friends of the Chinese people and role models for the Germans. I also went to John Rabe's grave to lay flowers and publicize Mr. John Rabe's deeds in many places in Germany.
I hope that the German people will follow Mr. John Rabe's example instead of Hitler and the Nazis.
If you (the organizers and staff of the Frankfurt Book Fair) do not allow me to enter the venue, I will also show Japan's brutal war crimes outside the exhibition center, other regions and occasions in Germany, and all over the world, protest Japan's refusal to reflect on history and glorify the ugly behavior of war, and protest the removal of the "comfort women" statue.
History should not be forgotten!
The victims of the Japanese invasion of the war should not be forgotten!
Women and children who suffered humiliation should not be forgotten!
Wang Qingmin
2024.10.30
(The original text of this article is in Chinese and is machine translated into English, German and other languages. Perhaps some sentences are not translated accurately or smoothly, but the basic expression is correct)