More than a century after the 1907 anti-Asian riots in Vancouver, Canada, a new report indicates that the rate of anti-Asian racist incidents per capita is higher in Canada than in the United States, Resonate reports.
Over 600 incidents have been reported since the start of COVID-19, according to Resonate. The Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice released the report in collaboration with other organizations.
“We have been consistently seeing a rise of anti-Asian racism,” Amy Go, a representative from the group, said, Resonate reports.
“Even though we’re in 2020, the insidiousness of white supremacy… [has] not changed,” Go said, in an interview with City News 1130.
According to City News 1130, British Columbia reported the highest number of incidents among Canada’s provinces. A slew of hate incidents have hit Vancouver, including vandalism of the city’s Chinatown and the physical assault of a 92-year-old man with dementia.
Advocates are calling on the Canadian federal government to include an anti-racism strategy in its post-pandemic recovery plan, City News 1130 reports.
“What we want to draw attention to is not only the economic survival, the economic prosperity… it is really the social well-being, political well-being as well as the emotional, mental health wellbeing,” Go said, according to NEWS 1130.
An infographic based on the report, released on Twitter, noted that the most common form of harassment, at 65% of reports, was verbal. 30% of the reports reported assault, including physical violence, spitting, and coughing.
83% of reports were made by East Asians, with 45% being from individuals 19-35 years of age. Most incidents (45%) occurred at public spaces like sidewalks or parks, with 14% of incidents at grocery stores.
“The disturbing racialization of COVID-19 requires urgent action,” The Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice said, via its Twitter page. “We must unreservedly condemn all anti-Asian racism which has spread as despicable political actors continue to scapegoat Asian, immigrant and migrant and racialized communities for the impact of COVID-19.”
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