Writer Wang Qingmin protests Japanese war crimes at Frankfurt Book Fair

Around 13:00 on October 18, I (Wang Qingmin, a Chinese writer living in Europe) displayed a poster opposing the removal of the "comfort women" statue in the Japanese exhibition hall of the Frankfurt Book Fair (there are also Korean and Chinese exhibition halls next to it), and distributed dozens of small posters to the crowd in the nearby Korean exhibition hall. I also shouted slogans such as "Don't forget history", "Don't forget comfort women", "Don't forget the Nanjing Massacre", "Don't forget Japan's war crimes", and "The Japanese army massacred the Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian people during World War II".

Afterwards, I was arrested by the police and forcibly taken out of the exhibition venue. While being taken out of the venue, I still insisted on shouting slogans, even though I was forced to bend over and face the wall by the police. I also explained to the police that I was opposing Japan's pressure on the German government to remove the "comfort women" statue, condemning Japan's refusal to apologize for war crimes, and calling on the people of the world to remember the Nanjing Massacre and other war crimes committed by Japan during World War II, just as the Jews remembered the Nazi Holocaust.

The police pulled me to the corner, and a Japanese came over to talk to the police. It was obvious that the Japanese had no good words to say, as if he was saying something like I had protested at the book fair last year. I cursed at the Japanese, and the police pushed me to the corner, pressed my body against the wall, with my face facing the wall and my arms bent. I felt pain. The police didn't let me go until the Japanese left.

After being taken out of the venue, the exhibition staff and the police told me that I would not be able to enter the venue in the future. Not only would I not be able to attend the exhibition for a few days after this year, but I would never be able to attend the book fair again in the future.

The Korean, Chinese, and Japanese exhibitors present, as well as some tourists from other countries, as well as the police and book fair staff, witnessed my protest.

After the police and exhibition staff forcibly pulled me out of the exhibition hall, I rested for a few hours. From 5:00 to 7:30 pm on October 18, I held posters about "comfort women" and the Nanjing Massacre, as well as Zhang Chunru's book "The Rape of Nanking" at the entrance of the exhibition center, and shouted slogans in English to exhibitors, tourists, and citizens, including slogans and speeches such as "Never Forget Nanking Massacre", "Don't forget Comfortable Women", "Japanese Army in Second World War kill and Rape many Chinese people, Korean people, southeast Asia people..." For more than two hours, I kept holding posters and shouting slogans. I hope people will remember Japan's war crimes and oppose the removal of the "comfort women" statue. I also cursed "Fuck Japanese" many times, and my throat hurt.

From 1pm to 8pm on October 19, I stood in front of the Frankfurt Book Fair for seven consecutive hours, holding up posters commemorating the Nanjing Massacre, criticizing the war criminal Japanese Emperor Hirohito, and holding up Chang Chun-ju's book The Rape of Nanking, and displaying posters opposing the removal of the "comfort women" statue. I shouted corresponding English slogans and distributed leaflets.

In seven hours, I shouted slogans at least thousands of times, and at least tens of thousands of people saw the posters, and several of them expressed support for my protest

The Frankfurt Book Fair did not allow me to protest inside, so I doubled my protest outside. There were more people coming and going at the door, and I held up posters, and thousands of people could see me; I shouted slogans, and thousands of people could hear me.

Never Forget

From 10:50 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on October 20, I held high a poster commemorating the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Zhang Chunru's book "The Rape of Nanking", and a poster opposing the removal of the "comfort women" statue in front of the main entrance of the Frankfurt Book Fair, showing them to people from all walks of life, and shouting "Never Forget Nanking Massacre", "Never Forget Japanese War Crimes", "remember Comfort women", etc., for seven and a half hours straight

In the evening of October 20, when the exhibition ended, I also showed a poster of John Rabe, who saved thousands of Chinese during the Nanjing Massacre, and shouted "Thank you John Rabe" to the people around me.

Except for this short period of time, I spent the rest of the time denouncing Japan's war crimes, scolding the Japanese, and opposing the removal of the "comfort women" statue.

At the end, I also thanked the surrounding police on duty and told them that Japan had no remorse, so I had to protest.

The more I was blocked and pressured, the more I rebounded. I originally shouted a few words at the book fair. But the Japanese side asked the exhibition hall and the police to kick me out of the venue, and I didn't shout clearly enough. So I left the venue and shouted for more than sixteen hours outside for three consecutive days. I cursed harder and exposed more aspects of Japan's crimes. More people saw and heard it and received leaflets.

This is not the end, and I am not the last one.

From the afternoon of the 18th to the afternoon of the 20th, I displayed posters and shouted slogans for more than sixteen hours in front of the gate of the Frankfurt Book Fair, distributed hundreds of leaflets, shouted slogans thousands of times, and no less than 100,000 people passed by and saw the posters. No less than a thousand people looked carefully and talked to me and discussed with me.

There are many media people, scholars, intellectuals, civilians, and people of all ethnic groups here. I shouted at the top of my lungs so that people from all over the world could hear and see it. I also posted relevant posters around the book fair center.

I will have follow-up actions. Things are not over. The protest will not stop. Even if I die, more Chinese and people from all over the world will remember history and protest against Japan's war crimes.