By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
The ad controversy comes less than two weeks after another ad in the same race accused Schaefer’s opponent, Democrat Josh Hawley, of supporting terrorism for defending a Muslim client. That ad was condemned for its use of “anti-Muslim rhetoric.”
The ad against Schaefer shows two shadowy Asian men speaking Mandarin, bragging about how they were able to purchase a Missouri farm due to the support of this candidate. The ad put out by the Tea Party Patriots is titled on You Tube as Stop Helping the Chinese Buy Our Farms.
You can watch it below.
“Inflammatory and xenophobic ads of this nature are simply unacceptable. Asian Americans are an integral part of this community and work hard every day to make Missouri and America great. Missouri’s politicians, regardless of party affiliation, must reject this divisive rhetoric,” said Richard Juang, President of the Missouri Asian American Bar Association.
“I am deeply disappointed with the utilization of anti-Chinese rhetoric that characterizes Asian Americans in a derisive light,” said Al Li, President of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis. “It is maddening to see those engaged in the Missouri political process incite Asian prejudice in order to gain votes. It only serves to move Missouri backwards.”
“I think it’s distasteful and disgraceful for shadowy out of state PACs to influence Missouri politics by throwing Asian Americans under the bus,” added OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates St. Louis chapter President Caroline Fan.
The other ad begins “You know Josh Hawley worked for the Taliban.” It goes on to accuse him of working for an Iranian group which killed American soldiers and assassinated civilians.
A number of prominent Republicans have criticized the ad by the Republican candidate including former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese.
“A major objective of the ad is to take advantage of anti-Muslim rhetoric and scare voters into fearing Muslim communities, including those of South Asian American and Asian-American heritage, which puts the lives of families and children in these communities in danger of possible hate crimes,” the Asian-American groups are quoted as saying by the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
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