‘You Chinese virus spreader’: after coronavirus, Australia has an anti-Asian racism outbreak to deal with

Name: Asian Australian sisters racially abused and assaulted in Sydney during Covid-19
Uploaded: 2020-05-29T21:00:20.000Z
Duration: 1 min 37 s
Description: Asian Australian sisters racially abused and assaulted in Sydney during Covid-19

A rise in racial abuse linked to Covid-19 highlights a gap in human rights legislation: there is no federal law punishing racist acts as a crime

With pressure growing for a national campaign, there are hopes that a growing diaspora and new generation will have the confidence to speak out

Reading Time:9 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

The attack on the Do sisters was caught on camera.

Su-Lin Tan

Published: 5:00am, 30 May 2020Updated: 3:59pm, 22 Apr 2021

After a knife-wielding white woman spewing racial abuse attacked them in their own hometown in New South Wales at the end of March, it took weeks for Vietnamese-Australian sisters Rosa and Sophie Do to once more feel comfortable crossing the street.

The pair had been waiting to cross Petersham Road in the suburb of Marrickville when two white Australian teenagers launched into an unprovoked attack, calling them “Asian whores”, “Asian dogs” and “Asian sluts”.

One threatened the sisters with a knife and tried to kick them before spitting into Rosa’s eye and face.

“Back then, spitting was worse than punching someone,” Rosa said, referring to how the coronavirus can be spread through water droplets.

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Asian Australian sisters racially abused and assaulted in Sydney during Covid-19

She had to go to the doctor to be tested not only for Covid-19 but for HIV, Hepatitis B and C too.

With the police springing into action quickly and through the help of social media, the attacker was identified and charged with six offences, including assault and indecent language.

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