As many of the world’s major economies struggle, some people are turning to the far right. Europe, which recently commemorated The 80th anniversary D-Day has seen support for far-right parties grow across the continent. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalism is boiling over on Chinese social media amid an attack on A Japanese school bus in Suzhou last week.
Extremism is so worrying that Chinese tech companies like Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, Douyin and Bilibili have taken drastic measures. extreme nationalist comments On their platforms. As the world shifts further to the right, how far will China’s ultra-nationalism go?
On June 24, a man armed with a knife attacked a bus used by a Japanese school in Suzhou. Two Japanese nationals who were at the bus stop were injured, while Hu Youping, a Chinese woman who intervened to stop the attack, was later killed. died from his injuries Chinese authorities have described the attack as an “isolated incident.”
Chinese social media is increasingly filled with sentiments that blend xenophobia with patriotism.
The construction of nationalism in contemporary China involves memories of national humiliation and suffering It dates back to the Opium Wars. Here, the government takes on a paternal role, acting as the guardian and final arbiter of social expectations.
An example is the controversial clause included in a draft reform to article 34 of the Law on Sanctions for Public Security Administration. clause Fines and detention time were proposed for wearing or forcing others to wear “clothing or symbols harmful to the spirit… or feelings of the Chinese nation.” removed from a revised draft last month after being deemed too subjective and open to misinterpretation.
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Shanghai’s wartime battlefield becomes a symbol of Chinese nationalism
Shanghai’s wartime battlefield becomes a symbol of Chinese nationalism
In the age of social media, it is no surprise that patriotism has become a reliable source of Internet traffic and earningsIt can even put pressure on local governments to act in specific cases. For example, in January an advertisement celebrating the Lunar New Year was removed from an underground tunnel in Nanning after internet users claimed it contained elements resembling the Japanese rising sun flag.
That same month, a blogger posted a video claiming that red circular decorations at a Nanjing shopping mall resembled the rising sun flag, prompting local police to demand that the decorations be removed. A powerful earthquake On January 1, a Hainan TV presenter on Japan’s Noto Peninsula called the earthquake “retribution” on his personal Douyin account. The presenter was initially suspended for his inappropriate comments, but was reinstated in February.
These views may be in the minority, but they still resonate on the internet. Online voices can fuel the spread of extreme ideas despite being out of step with the majority, and this keyboard ultranationalism can have real-life consequences.
In August 2022, a young Chinese woman wearing a kimono He was arrested by the police In Suzhou, a middle-aged woman was arrested for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” A year later, a middle-aged woman in Chengdu confronted young men in cosplay at a shopping mall, claiming that any patriot would look down on them. The cosplayers wore costumes Genshin Impacta video game created by Shanghai-based studio miHoYo; one of them was injured after the woman pushed him to the ground.
Last September, several young people Wearing hanfu In April this year, two young women who were filming a dance video in Chongqing while wearing kimono were detained by a group of elders and accused of being Japanese spies, leading to a physical altercation.
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Chinese woman arrested by police for wearing kimono in public
Chinese woman arrested by police for wearing kimono in public
This adds to online ultra-nationalists accusing the Chinese beverage giant Nongfu Spring of being pro-Japanese earlier this year. Under the banner of moral superiority, extreme feelings are legitimised, politicising everyday life.
The worst possible outcome of this exaggerated rhetoric has already materialized: the attack in Suzhou claimed one life and hatred continues to erupt online.
If this frenzy continues, their targets will disappear. Beyond foreignersPeople tend to adopt more conservative beliefs in tough economic times and blame their problems on those who look and sound different.
We must not repeat the mistakes of those in Europe who ignored the terrifying xenophobia of the 1930s and cheered on the Blackshirts as they fanned the flames of hatred. It is time for the silent majority to stop being silent and say no to extremism.
Ziang Liu is a researcher at the London School of Economics
