Asian-American group reports 3,795 racially motivated attacks during pandemic
- ‘Stop AAPI Hate’ advocacy group documents US race-related incidents reported since March 2020
- About two-thirds of racial attacks reported by women; Chinese the largest ethnic group
Since coronavirus shutdowns began last March, thousands of Asian-Americans have faced racist verbal and physical attacks or have been shunned by others, according to a study released Tuesday.
The study by Stop AAPI Hate documents 3,795 racially motivated attacks against Asian-Americans from last March to February, noting that the number is likely a fraction of the attacks that occurred because many were not reported to the group.
Stop AAPI Hate formed last March in response to attacks related to the perception that Asians were responsible for the coronavirus because of its origins in Wuhan, China. The group did not collect data in previous years to show whether attacks against Asians have increased during the pandemic.
About 68 per cent of the anti-Asian attacks documented in the study were verbal harassment, 21 per cent were shunning and 11 per cent were physical assaults.
Another 9 per cent were civil rights violations such as workplace discrimination or being refused service at a business. About 7 per cent of the attacks were online harassment.
Most of the incidents occurred at businesses or on public streets.
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“We ask policymakers at the local, state and national level to partner with us on implementing community-based solutions that will help ensure Asian Americans have equal rights and access to opportunities,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council.