Two foreigners under investigation for racial slurs in private WeChat group

Police in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, are investigating two resident foreigners accused of making offensive remarks in a private WeChat group about Chinese people and Nanjing Massacre victims.

The case was brought to the police’s attention after a few screenshots of WeChat conversations were widely shared on Chinese social media. The two expatriates use racially insensitive language like “chink” and stated that the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, when more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were murdered, was “over quickly.”

These are the screen grabs that are circulating online:

According to Mr. Gao 高, a Chinese in the chat group of 88 people created by a restaurant in Shenzhen for frequent customers, the exchanges happened on September 27.

Another Chinese member in the group told reporters (in Chinese) at Modern Express that after he posted the screenshots on his WeChat Moments, one of the foreigners used offensive language to attack him in a private conversation and threatened his personal safety by circulating his home address.

Modern Express reports that one of the foreigners used to be a teacher in China.

According to the local police, an investigation is underway and the public will be informed of the results when they are ready.