Since former U.S. President Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus”, incidents of discrimination and even attacks on Asian Americans have increased significantly, including shop robberies, destruction of houses and cars, street violence, and fatal attacks, with the exception of the Chinese , Filipinos, Thais, Japanese, and Koreans are all targeted.

(AFP, Washington) After the outbreak of the coronavirus, violence against Asians in the United States surged, and some Asians took action to protect themselves.

Since former U.S. President Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus”, incidents of discrimination and even attacks on Asian Americans have increased significantly, such as the robbery of shops of Asians, destruction of homes and cars, and abusive writing. In other words, street violence and even fatal attacks against Asians are even more worrying. In addition to the Chinese, Filipinos, Thais, Japanese, Laotians and Koreans are also targets.

When the current President Biden delivered a televised speech on the 11th in conjunction with the first anniversary of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, he condemned the frequent anti-Asian hate crimes in the country during the past year.

He pointed out that during the epidemic, many Asians were at the forefront of the U.S. anti-epidemic. However, at the very moment when the virus was raging, Asians were attacked, harassed, and accused, and regarded as scapegoats. These behaviors were “wrong” and must be stopped. .

More than 2,800 cases of discrimination were reported in 10 months last year

According to data from the US non-profit organization “Stop AAPI Hate” (Stop AAPI Hate), between March and December last year, incidents of racial discrimination reported by Asian Americans on the Internet included people in non-material forms. There are more than 2,800 incidents, but it is generally believed that there are more minor incidents of racial discrimination that have not been reported.

Lin Aisite, a 32-year-old Korean American, complained that since the outbreak of the coronavirus, she has been worried about her parents and her safety. She is not only worried about the virus, but also whether her family will be racially discriminated against and attacked. A close friend of hers was injured in a car crash, which was most likely a hate crime incident, so she decided to take action.

Lin Esther bought pepper spray for his mother and learned judo from his father for self-defense. She printed leaflets in different languages ​​in order to teach Asians how to report to the police when they were attacked. She said: “I want to take the initiative to do something more positive, rather than hiding in the corner of fear.”

Volunteer organization escorted Asian seniors on spontaneous patrols in Chinatown and other areas

There are more and more Asian Americans like Lin Esther who have turned passive into active. Some people have also launched campaigns on social media to raise funds to fight against hate organizations targeting Asians. They have also used various exchanges to raise people’s awareness of hate crimes.

In California, Asian seniors who have been escorted by volunteers have spontaneously patrolled Chinatown and other areas.

Volunteer Bonfonsi said: “My partner and I exist to let others know that we are doing everything we can to protect the community and make sure that everyone can go home safely. I believe our existence has played a role. “