申し立てを報じる現地メディア（ABC）
さて、慰安婦像を堂々とオーストラリアの地に設置出来なくなった活動家らは、ワシントンの場合と同様、強引にお披露目式を開催し、地元の協力者の元にこの像を持ち込んだ。像は教会の駐車場の一角に置かれただけだが、オーストラリアに慰安婦像を建てたという実績作りとしてはこれでも良しなのだろう。しかし、AJCN（Australia-Japan Community Network）側は追撃の手を緩めず像を一般人の目に触れない屋内に移せと人権委員会に調停を申し立てた。この申し立てはどういう結果をもたらすのか。
AJCNの山岡代表らの意見も紹介される（ABC）
「この像の事で悲しい思いをする人がいるなんて、それこそ悲しいですよ。
だって、これはより良き世界を作る為の物なんですから」
牧師の嘘はAJCNのサイトで暴かれているが、視聴者は見抜けまい
申し立ての結果がどうあれ、AJCNは一定の成果は勝ち取れそうである。公平を期しつつもオーストラリアメディアの報道には依然先入観が色濃く、コメント欄にも日本に対し批判的な意見が多いが、ジャーナリストや学者ならAJCNのウェブサイトで彼らの主張の詳細を確認しようとするだろう。そこでAJCNが訴えているのは、女性の人権問題と言うが実態はこんな物ですよと、各地で行われている反日キャンペーンを写真入りで紹介しているのである。彼らは、言論の自由は認めるし鑑賞したい人は鑑賞しに行けば良い、ただし人目に付く所は止めろと言っているだけである。
人種差別禁止法を政治論争の為に利用されたと批判する国会議員も
AJCNのメッセージは、慰安婦を正当化するわけでもなく、元慰安婦をDISるわけでもない（反論は別の機会にやっている）。慰安婦像を阻止しようとすれば、これで十分なのである。それでいて、さりげなくグレンデールの反日活動まで蒸し返されてしまったのは、グレンデールやサンフランシスコで日本に完勝したと喜んでいたアメリカ西海岸の反日勢力にはとんだとばっちりだろう。
Ian Goodenough議員（シンガポール出身）もABCに対し
否定の余地のない残虐行為について人種差別禁止法は適用出来ないと
誤解は根深い
そういう意味で、人権委員会がどういう判断を下そうと、AJCNのメッセージは一定のアピールにはなった筈である。ただし、壁も待ち受けているようである。人権委員会への申し立てに反対する国会議員もおり、オーストラリア国民の理解を得るのはまだまだこれから、といったところだろうか。
オーストラリアの日系団体、教会敷地内の慰安婦像移動を申し立て
【ＣＪＣ】オーストラリア・シドニー近郊の教会敷地内に韓国系市民団体の依頼で仮設置された旧日本軍の従軍慰安婦問題を象徴する少女像について、現地で抗議活動を展開する住民らの組織「オーストラリア・ジャパン・コミュニティー・ネットワーク」（ＡＪＣＮ）は、少女像を移動するよう求め、オーストラリア人権委員会に調停を申し立てた。共同通信が報じた。
同国の人種差別禁止法は、人種や民族を理由にした差別を禁止している。ＡＪＣＮは、不特定多数の人の目に触れる場所への設置は日本人への憎悪をあおり、人種差別禁止法に違反すると主張。少女像の屋内への移動を求めている。
少女像は８月、シドニー近郊カンタベリー・バンクスタウンにある韓国人会館で除幕式が行われ、その後、教会敷地内に移されていた。
クリスチャン・トゥデイ 2016.12.19[2]
※ クリスチャン・トゥデイを引用したのは前にもあったと思うが、CT紙がこういうニュースを取り上げるとは意外だった。一応、この媒体は中立であるらしい。
ABOUT THE COMFORT WOMAN STATUE
As ABC reported AJCN has lodged a complaint against Uniting Church Australia at Human Right Commission.
Completely apart from interpretation of historical facts we have a numerous number of reasons to believe this statue has been promoted as a political tool causing unnecessary animosity and division to local communities. For this reason, Strathfield Council unanimously declined the Korean proposal in 2015 as more than 70% of residents voted No to the statue. More recently, Friedburg in Germany declined the similar proposal having realised that the statue is used as a political tool to put pressure on the Japanese government.
This kind of statues have been erected all over the world, and demonstrations taking place beside the statues are clearly political, racial and often violent. We consider this is a huge intimidation to the Japanese nationals. Please see the photos below for your references. What further concerns us is the fact that those specific Korean people promoting the statue are trying to break the governmental mutual agreement proposed by both Japanese and the South Korean governments. This agreement is implemented with the aim to provide assistance to the families of deceased comfort women and surviving comfort women, and Australian government officially announced that they also support this agreement as well. We hardly understand why we cannot let the two governments settle and build a better relationship for the future. This statue is a clear symbol with the intention of disregarding the governmental agreement.
Another point is that, we realised young children are naturally susceptible to racial hatred. We are deeply shocked by the fact that small children in South Korea are educated that Japan is an evil at a very young age in their Anti-Japan education system. The following photos are showing drawings by young Korean children which were displayed at a subway station outside Seoul.
We are frightened to see this kind of hatred has been publically displayed at the place of train station.
These are placards held up by Korean and Chinese supporters at Strathfield extraordinary council meeting on 11th August 2015. These placards clearly indicate that this issue is far beyond peaceful, but strongly political.
Because of the factors described above, the comfort woman statue has never been a peaceful monument. It can easily trigger racial hatred and provoke discrimination especially amongst young children and student. In 2014, parents who are concerned with particular bullying and hatred their children experienced have sent a letter to Prime Minister Abe asking for a help. This happened in North America and we can easily assume this can happen in Australia, and this is the reason we have been objecting to the erection of statue since 2014. We must avoid it by all means.
In last 6 months we have been explaining these in detail to Rev Bill Crews and the Uniting Church at numerous occasions, however, so far our concerns have been flatly ignored. Hence we are forced to take a more formal action.
What Rev Crews publicly stated also hightens our fear. In a video Korean group submitted online, he appeared and said that he wants to erect the statue facing the public roads to make “perpetrators apologise.” We believe there are no perpetrators in Ashfield in regards to this issue and we are deeply shocked by being called “perpetrators”.
Later Rev Crews changed his words and stated in public that this statue was “representing not only comfort women but also all the women suffered in war, and even those women suffering domestic violence in today’s society.” We see this as an extremely deceptive and misleading act because the plaques attached to the statue are specifically blaming only Japan. This is clearly a form of racial discrimination by singling out the Japanese race.
The comfort woman issue and suffering of women in war is a universal issue that we should all seriously consider about it. However, it does not make sense if today’s mothers and children are subjected to racial hatred and discrimination because of such statue to honor women. Please let us say that we are only working for local parents who have been sensing tension and animosity since this matter was raised by the Korean group in 2014. We respect freedom of speech and thoughts, but we are also committed to protect our children and also maintain our local community harmony. This is the only thing what we are pursuing.
We would like the statue to be kept somewhere private and discreet so that people who are interested can visit but still we can minimise the risk of causing unnecessary harm to the local community which we should value the most. This should be a fair request.
Our message to fellow Australians is;
The world is increasing complex and turbulent. Our challenge is how to avoid importing foreign conflicts into Australia. For that purpose, the key is we put our community harmony first, not last.
I hope this media release help you understand where we stand. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Best regards
Tetsuhide Yamaoka
President
Australia-Japan Community Network
AJCN 2016.12.14
参考： Japanese group launches 18C racial discrimination case over ‘comfort women’ memorial（ABC 2016.12.15）
