베를린 평화의 소녀상

베를린에 평화의 소녀상이 세워졌다. 유태인과 수많은 다른 유럽인들을 학살한 나찌 독일의 심장부에 또 다른 인권유린을 잊지말자는 평화의 소녀상이 세워졌다. 그거 하나만으로 이 평화의 소녀상의 의미는 남다르다. 물론 또 다른 꼭 세워져야 할 곳은 동경의 천황궁 정문 앞이다. 그렇지만 천황궁 정문 앞에 세워지는 날은 일본이 뉘우치고 전세계에 사과하고, 일제의 만행을 규탄하는 날이기 때문에 가까운 시일내에 올 것 같지는 않다. 그때까지는 이 소녀상이 전세계에서 가장 의미있는 소녀상이라 하겠다.

 

그런데 바로 그 일제의 잔당들이 모략을 해서 이 소녀상을 철거하라는 법원의 명령이 내려졌단다. 다행히 이 명령을 중지해달라는 청원이 받아들여져서 그 결정은 법원으로 다시 넘어갔다.

 

베를린아, 너 제정신이냐 ? 저 소녀상을 철거하라니. 더 크게 만들라거나 똑같은 소녀상을 만개만 더 독일내 주요 장소에 세우라거나 그런 판결도 아니고. 나찌의 상징인 독일에서 하는 짓이 나찌랑 똑같아서야 되겠냐 ? 아무리 네 속이 실은 나찌라고 하더라도 지금은 1940년대가 아니고 21세기란다. 너네가 본색을 드러내면 안될 시대란 말이다.

 

아우슈비츠가 아직도 존재하는게 그게 독일 내부가 아니어서 가능한 것이었단 말이냐 ? 독일아, 네가 나찌의 잔당이 아니라는 것을 증명하려면, 소녀상을 철거하라는 명령을 철회하는 것에서 멈추면 이제는 많이 모자란단다. 정부가 세금을 대거 지원해서 소녀상을 독일 내는 물론 독일 밖의 여러나라에도 설치하는 것을 지원해도 모자라게 되었다. 독일 정부 홈피에도 소녀상에 대해 설명하고, 링크를 항상 대문짝만하게 첫 화면에 넣고 연구 좀 해봐. 어떻게 속죄할지 말이다.

 

일본 정부가, 일본 국민 전체가 공식적으로 사과하고 걔네 교과서에 그들의 만행이 들어가고 특별히 그 부분을 강조해서 교육하는 날이 올때까지는 그게 독일 너네가 손이 발이 되도록 빌면서 해야 할 일이다. 유엔에서 발언할 기회가 있을때마다 발언하고 말이다. 알았지 ?

 

일본인을 욕하기 위해 쓰는건 아니야. 나도 일본사람 친구들 많고 다들 엄청 좋아. 의리 있고. 나는 저 엄청난 범죄를 저지른 일본제국주의자들 (아마 지금쯤 다 죽었겠지)을 욕하기 위해 이 글을 쓰는거야. 저 소녀상도 누군가를 욕하거나 차별하기 위해 세워진 것이 아니야. 저 소녀상은 단지 먼 옛날 어떤 끔찍한 범죄가 저질러졌으니, 지금 우리에게 이런 일이 일어나지 않도록 방지하자는 뜻에서 세워진 거야. 결국 우리는 저런 범죄를 다시는 저지르지 말자는 뜻이지.

 

안타깝지만, 저런 범죄가 지금 이순간에도 전세계 곳곳에서 자행되고 있어. 바로 이 때문에 전세계인 한사람 한사람이 모두 힘을 합해서 이 범죄에 맞서 싸워야해. 이 소녀상의 진정한 의미는, 일본인이나 심지어 저 끔찍한 범죄를 저지른 일본 제국주의자들을 욕하자는게 아니라, 우리 모두에게 우리는 이런 범죄와 맞서 싸워야 한다고 일깨워주는데 있는 것이지.

 

Recently Berlin, Germany got the Statue of Peace. At the heart of Germany where Nazis killed many many Jewish and other Europeans, a Statue that screams not to forget another unprecedented human rights violation is built. The location -- Berlin -- alone gives a special meaning to the specific Statue that is just built. For sure, the most important location to have another Statue of Peace is right in front of the main entrance of the Emperor's Palace at Tokyo as the unprecedented human rights violation has been committed by the Japanese Empire. That can happen only when Japan -- the whole nation and the people as well as the political parties, government, academics, schools, and any influential folks -- regrets such a horrific crime, apologizes the crime to the world, and denounces all the wrongdoings. (FYI, Japan does NOT teach their youngs on what their ancestors did wrong. Hence the young generation in Japan does not know what had happened during the 2nd world war, not to mention earlier than that as such crimes started way before the Pearl Harbor. That is why Japan claims that they are the victim of the 2nd world war while they are the one who attacked the Pearl Harbor and many other worse crimes) This won't happen in a near future. Until then, the Statue in Berlin is the most important piece of art for the human rights.

 

Unfortunately, recently it has been ordered to demolish the Statue due to the movements by the Japanese Imperialists who are aligned with the criminals who did the horrific human rights violations. Fortunately, an injunction request has been accepted and now the court will decide if the Status will be kept or not.

 

Dear Berlin, if you can tell right from wrong, you shouldn't have ordered to demolish the Statue. Germany is one of the folks who have to lead such an effort to tell the world that such a crime has to be denounced to the hell and human race has to do our best to prevent such a crime from happening again. By ordering to demolish the Statue, you confirmed that you are aligned with the Nazi. It is ok to have such opinion in your heart but it isn't ok to express such an opinion in public in the 21st century when now human race knows what human rights are.

 

Now I realize that Auschwitz could have survived just because it is in Poland. Otherwise, Nazi Germany (such as Berlin today) could have demolished Auschwitz altogether so that their horrible crime -- massacre and the other equally serious human rights violations -- could be concealed. Now the only way out to prove that Berlin is not the direct successor of Nazi Germany who cannot be denounced more in human history (well, only 2nd to Japanese Imperialists who did way worse crimes than Nazi Germany) is, not just stopping the demolition, but promoting the spirit of the Statue of Peace by funding on building more of such Statues everywhere -- not only in Germany, but also in the other European or non-European countries, wherever many people visit so that everyone in the world gets educated how horrible human could be and we sould never sit back and watch such crimes to repeat anywhere. Berlin, you need to be very creative how to reconcile your wrong-doing of ordering the demolition.

 

To help your creativity, Berlin or German Government or any organization that you can have influence on, could educate the world by using your own homepage, adding a very conspicuous link at the very entrance of your home page. You could address the issue whenever you have any opportunity to speak in public such as in UN and more. This could have been on the shoulders of current Japanese government but due to the wrong order, now you are responsible to do so as well until Japanese realizes what went wrong.

 

I do NOT advertize nor promote discrimination to current Japanese people. I do have quite a few Japanese friends and everyone are extremely nice and sincere. What I am trying to discriminate is the Japanese Imperialists who should have died by now but commited those unfathomable crimes. The Statue of Peace doesn't discriminate any people either including Japanese people. The Statue reports what has been done long ago and reminds us that we should not repeat such mistakes. We should not make such mistakes.

 

Unfortunately, such human right violations are happening today as well. That is why we need to have awareness of such crimes and we, everyone in the world, need to get together to get rid of such crimes. The true value of the Statue of Peace is never in discriminating current Japanese people nor even Japanese Imperialists who did commit such horrific crimes but in keeping us aware that we need to help each other to prevent such crimes today.