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Why are Asian Americans under attack?

Racist attacks against Asian Americans have gone up during the pandemic, bringing anger and anxiety.

The killing of eight people at a number of massage parlors in Atlanta this week has brought fears that the crimes may have targeted Asian Americans. Six of the people killed were of Asian descent. Although it is not yet clear whether there was a racial motivation in the shootings, they come against a backdrop of a sharp rise in violent attacks against Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic. An elderly Thai immigrant died after being shoved to the ground, a Filipino-American had his face slashed on the subway and a Chinese woman was slapped and then set on fire. These are just some of the thousands of cases reported in the US in recent months. Advocates and activists say they are hate crimes, and often linked to political rhetoric that blames Asian people for the spread of Covid-19. They point to the language used during last year’s election campaign by Donald Trump, who used terms such as the β€œChina virus” and β€œkung flu”. During his first prime-time address to the nation last week, President Joe Biden denounced the attacks as un-American and urged federal agencies to fight β€œa resurgence in xenophobia”. Ritula Shah and a panel of expert guests as they discuss the causes of these attacks, who is carrying them out and what should be done about them.

Available now

53 minutes

Last on

Sat 20 Mar 2021 04:06GMT

Contributors

Ian Shin - Social and cultural historian at the University of Michigan

Ellen Wu - Director, Asian American Studies Program at Indiana University

Cynthia Choi - Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action

Also featuring:

Cliff Li - Executive director of the National Committee of Asian American Republicans

Andy Kim - Democratic Party Congressman

Photo

People march on the sidewalk during a protest against anti-Asian hate crimes in the Chinatown-International District of Seattle, Washington. Credit:Β REUTERS/Lindsey WassonΒ 


Broadcasts

  • Fri 19 Mar 2021 10:06GMT
  • Sat 20 Mar 2021 00:06GMT
  • Sat 20 Mar 2021 04:06GMT

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