Shenzhen Japanese School Boy Stabbed to Death, Sparks Huge Controversy in Chinese Society.
Professor Zhao Hong and Associate Professor Chen Bi from China University of Political Science and Law released an article on September 21 urging not to tolerate any violence promoted under the banner of “patriotism,” stating “if we don’t speak out, we are all guilty,” which caused a stir. However, the article was soon deleted.
The article, titled “What Can We Do for the Deceased Children?” pointed out that a similar tragedy to the one in Shenzhen had occurred less than three months ago on a school bus in a Japanese school in Suzhou, where a child on their way to school was also attacked with a butcher knife. The difference this time was that there was no Hu Dajie (school bus attendant Hu Youping) standing in front of the children.
After the incident, almost all self-media outlets attributed the killing of the children to “near-crazy populism” and “irrational hate education.” But even if the reasons can be identified, can such barbaric killings be understood or forgiven?
The article mentioned how from being suspected of “provocation” for wearing a kimono to the poor performances of internet celebrities “Ironhead” and “Sub-humans,” to the attack on innocent children on a Japanese school bus, witnessing “patriotism” being exploited and degraded in such a way, ultimately becoming an excuse and reason for evil, is truly heartbreaking. If “patriotism” can be abused like this, how much more evil can be carried out under its name?
The article stated that while Chinese people should remember the atrocities and history of Japanese aggression, does remembrance have to be accompanied by more killings and more brutal displays? This is truly intolerable for civilization. “We mourn for the innocent boy who passed away, we mourn for his mother, and we mourn for the decline of civilization.” But besides condemning the violence and punishing the perpetrators, “what else can we do?”
The article advocated first and foremost not tolerating any violence promoted under the banner of “patriotism.” If someone can be deluded into believing that they can willfully harm individual lives for some great cause, it is definitely against humanity; if a society can still tolerate labeling those who cruelly kill innocent children as “anti-Japanese heroes,” it is certainly sinful. If history is to be remembered with hate, it will only bring more killings and harm.
The article said that faced with madness and violence, common sense and conscience always seem weak and are easily drowned out by hysterical clamor, but they are the ordinary people’s only weapons to safeguard civilization and themselves. Therefore, do not easily discard the key in your hand, do not easily accept a simplistic narrative of absolutism, and do not easily give up civilization that has been hard-earned.
The article bluntly questioned, where does the online frenzy of anti-Japanese sentiment in China come from in the current public opinion environment? Are these emotions that have emerged out of nowhere in just one or two days? Regardless of how despicable and dirty the behavior, even if it involves suspected illegal activities, as long as it is under the banner of “anti-Japanese patriotism,” there are people applauding and cheering in the comments section. Common sense becomes abnormal, reflection is particularly scarce, and bravery is often ridiculed, turning civilization into a joke.
The article lamented that in China today, those with a sense of justice can only “communicate privately, approve in their social circles, and sigh.” They know right from wrong but dare not speak out because they “can’t afford to provoke” – provoke whom? They can’t even write their names, just like Lord Voldemort in “Harry Potter.”
The article argued that only those who truly have the courage to face their fears can say their names, and “perhaps what we lack is precisely the courage to face reality.” Historians must be responsible for the history of their respective eras, so “aren’t we also responsible for the present, for today that surrounds us?”
The article concluded with a friend saying, “Don’t write, don’t speak out, because you’ll be criticized.” But “that child is already dead, if we don’t speak out, we are all complicit.”
After the article was published, it gained wide circulation on various online platforms and social circles in China, receiving significant feedback but also attracting skepticism from nationalists. However, the article was soon deleted, leaving only some scattered screenshots being circulated.