INQUIRER.net Stock Photo
An 18-year-old man from Henan, China, was recently arrested by authorities for wearing a German military uniform that appeared to have Nazi-style motifs in a war heroes’ park in Hangzhou.
The young man, known only as Li, was accompanied by a friend to the Beiganshan Martyrs Memorial Park in Xiaoshan where the two took pictures against the park’s backdrop. Li then posted the photos on social media last Dec. 30 as per The Paper.cn via The South China Morning Post on Jan. 2.
Li’s post was found by a furious internet user who circulated his post on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. “Taking pictures in military uniform with Nazi logos in a martyr park???” the netizen was quoted as saying. “If this is not defiling martyrs I don’t know what is.”
The Weibo post was seen by authorities who immediately tracked Li. He was arrested on Dec. 31 for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” As per the report, Li’s friend eluded arrest after authorities decided he was not aware of the meaning behind the uniform. Li, on the other hand, was called a “military enthusiast” by the police.
Li, on his end, said he did not intend to offend and only wore the soldier uniform “for fun.” Some netizens also came to his defense, saying the uniform he wore—although bearing a Nazi emblem—did not belong to World War II. The police, however, remained firm.
“Some people tried to muddy the water by saying the uniform was not worn during the second world war,” the police statement said. “But they turned a blind eye to the fact that [he] went to a memorial park wearing the military uniform of another country.” Cody Cepeda /ra
RELATED STORIES:
Chinese man detained for staging ‘Japanese imperial soldiers’ costume parade
Remembering the Filipino comfort women