A Chinese international student at Rice University in Houston returned home to find her apartment door vandalized with the word “spy” scrawled on it.
A longtime friend of the student, Iris Li, posted a photo of the graffiti on social media.
‘There’s no signs of who wrote it or why, but perhaps the neighbors have found out they are Chinese.” Iris Li wrote. Her friends roommate is also a student from China.
‘Xenophobia has only been on the rise since 2020 started, I hope that communities have effective guidelines to protect residents from terror. And I hope all international students in the US stay safe and be smart,’ said Li.
Li’s Twitter feed is filled with concern about the treatment international students are facing. She says students from China are accused of everything from being communist to being not communist enough
She also urged people to see Chinese students for more than just their political beliefs.
Li hopes authorities take the incident more seriously.
“The leasing department has only responded vaguely, without posting any notes to the residents. The police department haven’t responded yet,” she said.
Rice University, however, has reached out to help.
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