Across the globe, East Asian people are suffering from racism and xenophobia as intolerant reactions to COVID-19. They have been subjects of violence and hate speech, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States. These attacks are becoming a living nightmare for them.
Moreover, this racism has evolved into a sort of stereotype against the Asian community overall. KLM, the largest airline in the Netherlands, faced backlash for refusing to let South Korean passengers use their bathrooms. Pawat Silawattakun, a Thai man living in West London, was assaulted by two teenagers. They yanked off his headphones and began calling him “coronavirus,” all while they filmed the incident. When he chased after them, one of the assailants punched him in the face. He collapsed onto the hard pavement, but few people came to his aid. In Montreal, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple was vandalized, and several statues inside were smashed.
This persistent racism has been extremely one-sided. Few discriminatory acts have been reported against Italians, Spaniards, or Americans, even though they comprise the majority of infected patients worldwide.
Founded earlier this month, online forum Stop AAPI Hate (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) seeks justice for those who have been discriminated against, or attacked, during the epidemic. Over the span of one week, though, the group reported more than 650 acts of racism against AAPI in the U.S. In almost every country with cases of the virus, certain phrases and nicknames have arisen. Most notably, people of Asian descent have been pushed around, called “coronavirus,” and told to “go back to their country.”
Often times, they have little choice but to remain silent. I spoke with Twitter user @Jay5tayPaid, who was violently attacked at a supermarket because of his race. He chose not to file a report, mainly because of his and his peers’ negative experiences with the police and the media. He had seen the same hateful acts happening in America years before, when he was writing for his school newspaper. However, he had never had “the opportunity to express the struggles of black and brown folk because it was before Trayvon Martin.” In 2020, Chinese people and other AAPI are facing this same dilemma, weighed down by the fact that any resistance to this bigotry will have little impact.
Twitter user @kathleeeeeen__ was shocked to find her family’s dry-cleaning store severely damaged. Worse yet, her parents are struggling to pay the damages.
Tragically, the pandemic has taken a massive toll on Chinese and AAPI businesses. People have avoided these restaurants, many of which are family owned and rely on day-to-day business to stay afloat. China Inn, a popular local eatery in Louisville, Kentucky was forced to close after 33 years, citing losses from COVID-19 prejudice. Other restaurants like them are considering shutting down, as managers have been forced to let go of several employees. Even before social distancing took effect, Chinatowns worldwide suddenly became deserted. And family businesses that are dealing with the virus have an extremely hard time keeping doors open.
President Trump’s decision to label SARS-CoV-2 the “Chinese virus” has been hotly debated. On one hand, the label is loosely accurate geographically, as the virus did originate in the Hubei province of China. However, the term suggests that China is entirely to blame for the epidemic, as well as Chinese people in general. Also, associating a worldwide pandemic with one nation is much like calling Lyme disease the “American virus.” Later on, Trump affirmed his support for the Asian-American community in a tweet. Still, statements like these have only further encouraged anti-Chinese sentiments.
Although it has certainly been hit the hardest, the AAPI community is not the only one facing prejudice. In particular, the Jewish community has seen a great deal of harassment. Right-wing extremists in New York have suggested spreading the disease to Jews, and in Ocean County, New Jersey, a man messaged Governor Phil Murphy threatening to attack Jews with a baseball bat for “spreading” the coronavirus. Virtual synagogues tried to meet on Zoom, but were suddenly raided by anti-Semites who began spouting “vile abuse.”
As a country, it is our duty to stand up against discrimination and injustice, for it is the only way we can unite as one. Governor Murphy condemned racist attacks in New Jersey, asserting that the state is “one family” and that we shall “rise and fall as one family.” As a community, we must support each other, no matter the person’s race, ethnicity, religion, creed, or gender. We are all struggling through this, so we must not make the struggle even harder for others.
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