Updated 2:37 PM EST
The following was provided to Amazing Stories via FB Messenger from Boris Sydiuk, a Ukranian Fan, who has corresponded with numerous fans and websites since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukrain.
The Chengdu Worldcon’s GoH has advocated in favor of the invasion previously and has offered new remarks following yesterday’s indiscriminate and illegal Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets.
10/11/22 7:30 am EST
Wordcon-2023’s GoH Sergei Lukianenko celebrates the Russian missile attack on Ukraine and hails the murder of Ukrainian civilians.
The Russian young-adult SF author Sergei Lukianenko says in his post that all Ukrainians are fascists and should be murdered. After the mass attack of Russian terrorists on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure on October 10, he made a post hailing the destruction of power plants, heat suppliers and other civilian infrastructure:
“Finally, I wish it would be so in February, deliberately and ruthlessly, fascist scum should go to hell”, meaning all Ukrainians.
Being an open Russian Nazi himself Lukianenko accuses everybody who does not recognize Russia as the greatest power in the world to be fascists. It is really a pity that the main American Science Fiction convention to be held in Chinese Chengdu in 2023 invited this racist and hater as Guest of Honor.
It is the decision of the organizing committee of the 81st Worldcon, but maybe it is time to change their mind and cancel such an unwanted guest whose participation would pollute the great name of Wordcon.
As of 11 am Kyiv time, October 11, 19 died, 105 wounded, 199 buildings are damaged including 46 private houses and 30 flat complexes, 98 schools, kindergartens, hospitals.
Russia launched over 80 missiles and over 40 kamikaze UAVs, half of them were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense.
Boris Sydiuk
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Amazing Stories endorses this call for the Chengdu Worldcon to remove author Sergei Lukianenko as GoH. We would prefer that the Worldcon not be held in a country that is currently engaged in genocide against the Uighur minority in their country, as we believe that this suggests that the World Wide Science Fiction Community is at least unconcerned and at worst endorses such actions. To include a Guest of Honor from a country that is also engaging in genocide sends a very clear message from the Chinese Worldcon to the world, and that message is that such actions are endorsed and approved, and that Science Fiction Fans don’t care.
Some of us do!
