/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/05/28/fighting-the-essence-of-scapegoating-facing-racist-violence-during-covid-19-chinese-canadians-launch-new-website/_1_cov_anti_asian_2_.jpg)
Chinese Canadians have launched a website they hope can help track and flatten the curve of anti-Asian racism during the coronavirus pandemic.
The public can go to the website, Fight COVID Racism, to file incident reports, trace documented cases through an interactive timeline and map, and find support to tackle the wave of hate crimes that has been targeting the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Racist attacks have happened to Chinese and Asian Canadians of all age ranges, in multiple cities, amongst all genders. We have seen these interpersonal forms of violence at work in places, public transit, online, public spaces and grocery stores,” Kennes Lin of the Chinese Canadian National Council’s Toronto chapter said at the launch of the website Thursday.
“We see these forms of violence from name-calling to shunning, verbal harassment, being coughed at and spat on, being barred from establishments or transportation, being denied service, and even horrific physical assaults and attacks.”
The community has started compiling data on COVID 19-connected racist incidents since February, shortly after the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in Canada.
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/05/28/fighting-the-essence-of-scapegoating-facing-racist-violence-during-covid-19-chinese-canadians-launch-new-website/anti_asian_racism_website_launch.jpg)
To date, the organizers have documented 138 incidents of COVID-related racism, with 110 of those being reported in May alone. Eighty of the instances took place in Ontario, 36 in B.C., 15 in Quebec and the rest from other provinces.
Of those who reported their own experiences:
- 66 per cent were women;
- 80 per cent were East Asian; 11 per cent Southeast Asian; three per cent Indigenous; two per cent Black; and four per cent described as others;
- 72 per cent said they suffered emotional harm after the event;
- The three most common types of harassment were verbal harassment, intentional spitting and coughing, and exclusion or refused access to premises.
“Based on misunderstanding facts and science, layered and fuelled by xenophobia and racism, anti-Asian racist incidents are intensifying in disturbing rates. This is unacceptable,” Lin said.
“Viruses do not have an ethnicity, nationality, or race. To have a clear understanding to advocate for change, tracking every incident of hate is key to understanding the racism Chinese Canadians and Asian Canadians face in this time of pandemic.”
Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council of Social Justice, said the community is on high alert to protect people not only from coronavirus but also from the added burden of potential attacks.
“It takes courage to even venture out to the street. It takes tremendous courage for victims to come forward to share their traumatic experience,” said Go, a social worker by training.
“We called on police services to support (these) victims, to immediately lay hate-crime charges against the perpetrators and explain why charges are not laid,” Go said.
Get the latest in your inbox
University of British Columbia history professor Henry Yu said he was not surprised or shocked by the spike of discrimination against Chinese Canadians, the likes of which can be traced through Canadian history, as when the community was banned from immigration and faulted for driving up real-estate prices.
“Being blamed for something that’s not your fault. It is not just the way you look. It is the idea that we can go and find easy solutions and blame someone for a problem,” said Yu. “That’s the essence of scapegoating. Taking it out on someone who is vulnerable.”
The website, funded by the the federal Heritage Department, also has two other community partners: the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic and the Civic Engagement Network.
