Michelin “removed name” after a restaurant in Germany insulted China, condemned by people from all walks of life

  China News Agency, Berlin, May 17 (reporter: Peng Dawei) The chef at the high-end restaurant "Im Schiffchen" in Düsseldorf, Germany, recently announced that the "re-welcome to Chinese people" was announced, which made Chinese overseas Chinese resentful. A number of German Chinese groups have recently published books in local newspapers to protest and complained to the Michelin Guide.

  The reporter learned on the 16th that this restaurant has been delisted from the official website by the Michelin Guide, and the Mayor of Düsseldorf Gezer also condemned the matter, saying that it should not happen in a building like Düsseldorf. Many Chinese are proud to be open and inclusive cities.

  Recently, the owner and chef of "Im Schiffchen" Jean-Claude Bourgueil posted on his personal Facebook page announcing that the restaurant will be reopened on Friday. At the end of the article, he wrote abruptly "Chinese are not welcome!"

  Immediately after this statement was issued, Chinese overseas Chinese in Germany were strongly dissatisfied and condemned in various forms. Many German netizens also left messages under the restaurant's Facebook, criticizing their racist comments. Subsequently, Bourgueil deleted the post and posted on his restaurant's official Facebook page to justify his actions. However, his statement was later pointed out to be sophistry, and his discriminatory remarks involving Asian customers on another social networking site Instagram were also exposed.

  Subsequently, the German Overseas Chinese Anti-epidemic Working Committee and 23 overseas Chinese groups in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany jointly sent a letter to the local mainstream media in Düsseldorf, the "Rheinland Post", which subsequently criticized Bourgueil with "Chinese groups The subject was reported. In addition, a number of German overseas Chinese groups also wrote to the Michelin Guide, calling for actions to be taken against the restaurants that awarded them with "stars".

  "Rheinland Post", "West Germany" and West German Radio and Television reported on this incident of humiliation to China. Several Chinese-language media in Germany also carried out follow-up reports. The West German newspaper described Bourgueil ’s Facebook post as a “scandal” in the title. "Rheinland Post" pointed out that Bourguei's post aroused widespread outrage.

  On May 15th, the Michelin Guide issued a statement saying that in response to the discriminatory remarks of the chef of the restaurant "Im Schiffchen", the guide strongly condemned and decided to immediately remove the restaurant from the official website promotion list. The reporter visited the Michelin official website on the 16th and found that the restaurant could not be retrieved.

  After the incident, people from all walks of life in Germany also expressed their condemnation. Düsseldorf Mayor Gezer made clear in his exchange with the Chinese Consul General in Dusseldorf Feng Haiyang that he, like many Düsseldorf citizens, wrote to Facebook of the person in charge of "Im Schiffchen" Anger, "This kind of thing should not happen in an open and inclusive city. We are proud to have a large and vibrant Chinese community."

  Gezer asked Consul General Feng to convey his cordial regards to all Chinese in Düsseldorf. He also said that he would further publicly clarify his opposition position.

  The chairman of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry also said in an exchange with Feng Haiyang that the person in charge of this restaurant should be condemned.

  "No one should be racially discriminatory, and freedom of speech is not without boundaries. This Frenchman paid a price for his unreasonable arrogance." Liu Chang, editor-in-chief of the German Life News, said that the restaurant industry suffered heavy losses in the epidemic. Should be actively prepared to resume work to recover losses. However, at such a moment, Chef Bourguei chose to "speak" so undoubtedly stupid.

  "This incident not only made the overseas Chinese in Germany feel indignant, but also got a lot of justice from the Germans." Ye Zengya, the head of the German Overseas Chinese Epidemic Prevention Working Committee, told reporters from China News Service, "In the future, we will help each other in the epidemic. At the same time, in the face of racism and xenophobia, we will resolutely protest. "(End)