There’s nothing funny about anti-Asian racism says Dutch art collective
Having experienced it first-hand, a Dutch-Asian resident of Amsterdam started a campaign to highlight that there is no such thing as ‘casual’ racism
“That’s just my story; one person’s experience of some of the verbal and physical abuse Dutch residents of Asian descent have been subjected to,” says Pan, on the phone from her home in the Netherlands’ capital. “What makes me really sad and angry is hearing from friends how their children are being bullied.”
So when commercial radio station Radio 10 aired the song Voorkomen is beter dan Chinezen, which translates as “prevention is better than the Chinese”, with lyrics saying the coronavirus is spread by East and Southeast Asians, especially through Asian restaurants, Pan jumped into action. A petition she started garnered almost 58,000 signatures. And she wasn’t alone in her anger. Dozens of police reports were filed while more than 3,000 complaints were lodged with a nationwide anti-discrimination platform.
Pan says the song reflects the systematic ridiculing and stigmatising of Asian Dutch, in which racism is often packaged as “satire” or “humour” to make it appear innocent.
Sadly, the public prosecutor also saw the song as just a joke, she says, and dismissed the case, stating that its satirical context outweighed the offensive content. It was artistic expression, the office decided.
Refusing to stay silent about the prosecutor’s decision, Pan started an anti-Asian racism awareness campaign, through a creative collective that blends art with activism.
