Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is fighting another kind of deadly virus: the virus of hate.
On January 28, 2021, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee—an immigrant from Thailand—was taking his usual hour-long walk in his San Francisco neighborhood when he was slammed onto the ground by a teen. He never regained consciousness and he passed away two days later. Watch the moment happen here.
Days before the Lunar New Year, a 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother was attacked and robbed in San Jose, California.
Meanwhile, a 61-year-old Filipino named Noel Quintana was riding a subway Train in Manhattan. Another passenger was kicking his backpack and when he asked the man to stop, he was “slashed across the face from cheek to cheek.”
At a glance, these may all seem like a random attack except that violence against the East and South East Asian (ESEA) community in the U.S. rose to 1,900 percent since January 2020.
Critics have long been accusing former U.S. President Donald Trump of “fueling anti-Asian sentiments.” Human rights experts, activists, heads of states, and even the UN, have repeatedly reminded and criticized Trump’s leadership, “saying his policies are fueling xenophobia.”
In addition, Trump caused furor online multiple times for his allegedly “racist tweets.” According to USA Today, Trump has “undermined Black Lives Matter protesters, calling them ‘terrorists’ and ‘thugs.'” They added that by repeatedly referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” and “Kung Flu,” Trump has “made Asian Americans the target of hate crimes.”
Meanwhile, anti-Asian hate crimes in the UK have risen by 21 percent as well and the increase is said to have been fueled by COVID-19. Read more about this here.
In light of the continued ascent of racism and xenophobia, we would like to remind Adam4Adam users that there is no place for hate on A4A. As part of our zero tolerance policy, any form of hate speech will result in immediate and definite suspension of the involved user’s account.
We encourage you to report users who send you slurs and hate messages here on A4A. Simply click on the “report this user” button found on the person’s profile and provide us with the details about the incident so that we can investigate and take the appropriate action.
As sensitive and empathetic people, let’s help each other out and stop the hate and the racist prejudice. Let’s stand in solidarity with our Asian and our Asian-American communities and disavow racism. We can also volunteer to escort elderly Asians in our community just like what Compassion in Oakland is doing right now.
Here’s to wishing everyone a nice weekend. #StopAsianHate. Cheers!
Hate crimes of any kind for any reason cannot be tolerated. This topic made it into an article in my feed this week. It was about the absolutely shocking skyrocketing rate of Asian Canadian hate crimes. Even in Canada??
Yes, especially in Toronto.
I stand with you my brother!
I was just watching some show on tv, when they showed a white male (as a man wouldn’t do this to a woman) shoved a Asian woman so hard that she went air-born, head first into a mailbox, she was injured badly in NYC.
Now you know what its like to be black in America, Black’s have been going through that for decades while other people just made jokes and excepted this type of behavior.
It’s so sad. Even comments to this article, expressing support to end hatred get thumbs down.
I know this blog exists to excite readers to new causes, but this is old news. In the video a young “thug” runs up to the poor guy and smashes him to the ground. Does anyone think, for a moment, that he did it because he was Asian? The man in New York City was among the dozens of citizens of every race, color and creed who were slashed, pushed on to the subway tracks, subjected to random beatings by mentally ill and often homeless individuals. New York, in particular does nothing for the homeless with serious mental illness. The… Read more »
I’m sorry but the guy that pushed the older asian woman few days ago was just found today, it’s not old news.
And I think you didn’t read the full article.
There is a huge increase in hate crimes against asians since the pandemic started, meaning this past year.
As you said Dave, these are not of random acts of violence. they are the direct result of the wannabe dictator that we got rid of Jan 20th. And it pretty easy to track increases in crimes against a particular group if there are decent records available. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks hate groups in the USA. Arturo doesn’t seem to understand the difference between common street Crime and crime directed against someone because who they are.
Ok, your points about mental-illness within America’s urban areas, all well and good. However these people too can be/ are just as racist, you think ’cause they’re mentally ill, they have no adverse opinion/s about people of different cultures/religions not of their own. You think ’cause they’re high on something or needing medication, homeless, etc., their heads have not been filled with hate, please, try again, man. I know what you mean about crazed teenagers, I lived in NYC, some are like pack-wolves, “wilding the subways” of of the city. I was on my home from work, some of these… Read more »
While mental illness has been on the rise, racism isn’t a mental illness. To say these attacks are not racially motivated but rather due to mental illness is insult to every person who faces racism in one form or another. There is a long history of racism and racially motivated violence throughout the world that can’t be explained away as mental illness. The Jews will tell you that the attacks on them are not due to mental illness, the indigenous people of north america will tell you their marginalize life isn’t mental illness, nor the blacks of the USA will… Read more »
I like what you said. Those words are my thoughts exactly. I don’t like hate either. These articles are made to fuel another kind of hate,
Really sad for them or anyone to have to suffer from such horrific abuse. I hope the aggressors get jail time they deserve.
Are we supposed to blame the rise in attacks in the UK on Trump too? The lunatic left needs to give the rabid Trump hate a rest and move on.
No but his buddy who also caught covid thinking it was just a little flu but almost died of it.
I think what gets me about these racists assholes, is that they fail miserably, to realize they’re up against classism. So they’re not loved by the ruling classes either, but used, politically and economically (as there is no mass wealth without mass poverty) they’re just “white fucking trash” to the elite. Just like old Europe, nothing new here with that dynamic… Sadly, at some point, the tides of violence against peoples/groups of color will turn, make no mistake, ok, within time it’s inevitable. As we’re not going to stand aside and look, as one group after another is picked-off, just… Read more »
It’s not right to just accuse Trump for the hate crimes against Asians in America. If the hate increased worldwide why blame him? People make their own choices. He didn’t call BLM protesters terrorist, he called ANTIFA terrorist because of the destruction they bring when they protest in other states. They interrupt peaceful protest and turn them violent. People need to quit blaming others for the bad choices they make for themselves.
not just him… but others like him.
Now that he’s gone you wanna bet it will go down?
I doubt it will, people blame Asians for the Covid virus according to your article.
Hasn’t yet.
The data in this article is misleading. There was only one anti-Asian hate crime in 2019, so a 1900% increase doesn’t mean much. (Yes, even one is too many, but still….)
Also, there is a distinction between crime and incident. The latter can mean just an insult or discrimination, probably not violence.
Please STOP showing any images of Donald Trump! It’s counterproductive to what you are saying. His image is surely traumatic for so many.
Why is Trump’s video up for this article? Can we not politicize this? and yes I am an Asian Republican
Firstly, I don’t believe you are really Asian, secondly, because it’s a direct result of trumps politics. Hence, “rise in violence” against “people of color/Jews.”
Rick you know you’re not telling the truth about being Asian. That’s a bold-face lie!!! Why you guys lie so much? Trump set a all-time record for lies, Lindsay Graham is a big liar, Cruz lied on his young girls. Mitch is a pathological liar. These prominent leaders of power are two-faced, ring kissing liars and its really disheartening..
I against violence on all fronts.
A few days ago I met up with a man for touching loving. As we were initially talking before meeting his big question was, Did I have a problems with Asians? because he was Chinese. I found the question odd given I don’t have problems with anyone that is kind and courteous. When we got together I asked about the question and he shared that there is tremendous bigotry and blaming against all Asians right now because of COVID. That made me sad, he was a good man, as are most Asians I have met and been with.
I’m sorry but law enforcement is way too lax on these racist hate crimes! This keeps happening and nothing is getting done!
One way to help is to be informed on the subject by reading/watching reports by people who have been paying attention and studying/documenting what is actually happening and know what they are talking about and at any rate KNOW MORE THAN YOU WHO THINKS BECAUSE YOU DON’T BELIEVE THAT CURRENT BEHAVIOR TOWARDS ASIANS IS RACIST THEN OF COURSE YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT IT THAN ANYONE ELSE AND ARE THE EXPERT!!! Do you also believe that violence against LGBTQ is not because of homophobia??? If you do you’re WRONG ABOUT THAT TOO!!! STFU ALREADY!!!