Okay, out of order, first the rejection, now what was rejected, but beggars can't be choosers. This is not Songie's whole statement, it is the "meat" of the apology, translated by Dr. Mo.
…I was one of the student representatives in charge when the
(government-sent) work team came to our school.
Only one week after the work team was asked to leave campus did the
August 5 Incident took place in which Principal Bian was violently killed. Liu
Jing and I went to the sports ground two times in an effort to stop the
violence. When we saw the excitement-watching students were beginning to leave,
believing nothing serious was going to happen, we left, too. Therefore, I am
responsible for the unfortunate death of Principal Bian. At that time, what
concerned me the most was the fact that the work team had left campus because
of the mistake they made (of not following Mao) and we, of course, made similar
mistake while working together with the team. We were worried that someone
would accuse us again of opposing the effort to attack the Black Gang (class
enemy), so we didn't and were in fact unable to make a strong effort to
prevent to violent struggle against Principal Bian and other school leaders.
Secondly, we had little common sense of the Constitution and lacked
the consciousness of law, and didn't know citizens had the Constitutional right
to personal protect and the irreplaceable right to personal life.
The collective ignorance about human rights and life eventually
caused the tragedy of Principal Bian's death.
Please allow me here to express my ever-lasting condolences and
apology. And my deep apology to school leaders Hu Zhitao, Liu Ziping, Mei
shumin, Wang Yubin and their families for not protecting them then. That was a
pain and regret of my life.
...
Over the past forty or so years, there have been two different
Song Binbins, namely, the Song Binbin you teachers and fellow students know and
understand and Song Yaowu who has become the symbol of violence of the Cultural
Revolution. I'd like to take this opportunity to say to the teachers who know
me that I was never involved in the early years of the Cultural Revolution in
any violent activities such as searching people's houses, beating up people, or
harming any teachers and students.
...
