Kicked, harassed, shunned: 9,000+ anti-Asian hate incidents reported in US during pandemic

Over 9,000 incidents of anti-Asian hate have been recorded in the US since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with nearly half of the incidents being anti-Chinese in nature, an advocacy group reported.

Some 9,081 incidents against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported between March 2020 – when Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) – and June 2021, according to Stop AAPI Hate, a non-profit organization which tracks cases of anti-Asian abuse.

The organization’s national report said 48% of cases involved “at least one hateful statement regarding anti-China and/or anti-immigrant rhetoric” and that Chinese Americans reported the most incidents.

Incidents of anti-Asian hate ranged from verbal harassment, which made up more than 63% of cases, and shunning (16.5%), to physical assault (13.7%) – and even being “coughed at or spat on” (8.5%). Civil rights violations and workplace discrimination accounted for around 11% of incidents.

Asian-Americans reported being called derogatory terms like “chinks” and “gooks,” being blamed for Covid-19, accused of eating dogs and bats, and being told to “go home” or “go back to China.” 

Almost 1% of cases also involved the abuser associating the victim with Chinese communism, Stop AAPI Hate revealed.

“From red-baiting to scape-goating to anti-immigrant nativism, it is clear that political rhetoric about China’s potential role in COVID-19’s origins has inspired hate, racism, and discrimination towards our AAPIF communities,” the group wrote on Twitter.

Public streets and workplaces made up the majority of locations for anti-Asian hate incidents, and women were far more likely to report experiencing abuse than men. Those between the ages of 26 and 35 were most likely to experience some form of hatred, making up almost 30% of reports.

California was the state with the highest number of hate incident reports, followed by New York, Washington and Texas. 

Instances of physical violence increased by nearly 6% in 2020 – and the group said it’s on track to receive more hate reports this year than it did in 2020.

In June, a 94-year-old Asian-American woman was stabbed in San Francisco by a man who had been released from prison by a judge just nine days earlier. Other incidents from San Francisco to New York have included Asian people being stabbed, attacked with hammers, stomped on, and knocked out. Even a 70-year-old Mexican-American woman was severely beaten in Los Angeles because she “looked Asian.”

A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry responded in March to the string of anti-Asian hate incidents by blaming American politicians.

Zhao Lijian said US politicians had “instigated racism and hatred, and condoned discrimination against Chinese students in the United States” through their constant rhetoric of blaming China for the pandemic.

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