By Honorary Reporter Araceli Gonzalez from Argentina
Hate crimes against ethnic Asians is rising in certain countries amid the global spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Racial discrimination due to COVID-19 is no trivial matter. Many Asians around the world are suffering from verbal and even physical abuse just because the coronavirus originated in an Asian country. Thus they live in fear because of not only the pandemic but also racism.
The story of a second-generation Korean Argentinean has recently gained media attention. Marina Kang, who was born and raised in Argentina, posted on her social media accounts a racist notice put on her apartment building. Her post has gone viral among regional media outlets.
The guidelines listed are "No touching of handles," "Take the stairs, "No walking through the central hall," "Wear a mask," and "Maximize hygiene with soap, water, alcohol and alcohol gel."
The notice ends with a comment targeting Koreans and Chinese, saying, "Please make sure that people from China and/or Korea respect these rules to avoid a massive coronavirus infection."
The notice treated ethnic Asian residents who have lived there for years as potential carriers or spreaders of viruses. Kang said the worst virus is hatred and ignorance, which is what the post in her apartment was disseminating.
This is not the first racist incident in Argentina because of COVID-19. In late February, a carrier employee made racial slurs about the coronavirus to a Chinese merchant, leading to verbal and even physical violence between the two.
Some seem to believe that attacking Asians is a way of preventing the coronavirus, venting on Asians the daily stress and inconvenience brought on by the outbreak. Their foolish behavior is threatening Asian communities worldwide and suffocating the global community reeling from the pandemic.
A video posted on Facebook by a man of Chinese descent in late February caught the world's attention. In the video, he holds a one-man demonstration blindfolded and wearing a white mask while standing next to a placard saying, "I'm not a virus. I'm a human. Eradicate the prejudice."
Asian immigrants in several countries including Spain and France empathized and began the hashtag #I'mNotaVirus movement. They said they seek to tackle hatred and rectify social awareness.
As a woman and a communications major, I find it hurtful to see some people trying to justify their inhumane violence and putting many others in fear. I am appalled by how they see violence as a way to prevent and combat COVID-19.
COVID-19 does not target certain ethnicities or nations, so seeing a specific group of people as a germ carrier and discriminating against them can never be justified.
The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to abide by instructions from health authorities, thoroughly maintain personal hygiene, and taking care of our health and that of those around us. Rather than doing something meaningless such as trying to find the origin of the coronavirus, we must all be responsible and cooperate to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.
*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.
To raise awareness of anti-Asian racism that is rising along with the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, UGIC, or the Italian-Chinese Youth Union, posted on Feb. 7 a lone protest by a person of Chinese descent titled "I am not a virus. I'm a human. Eradicate the prejudice" in Florence, Italy. (UGIC's YouTube page)
Hate crimes against ethnic Asians is rising in certain countries amid the global spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Racial discrimination due to COVID-19 is no trivial matter. Many Asians around the world are suffering from verbal and even physical abuse just because the coronavirus originated in an Asian country. Thus they live in fear because of not only the pandemic but also racism.
The story of a second-generation Korean Argentinean has recently gained media attention. Marina Kang, who was born and raised in Argentina, posted on her social media accounts a racist notice put on her apartment building. Her post has gone viral among regional media outlets.
A racist post about the novel coronavirus disease in an apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, specifically targets residents of Chinese and Korean descent. (Marina Kang's Facebook page)
The post begins by saying, "At the moment, we are living through the virus that has been spread worldwide by the Chinese. It is recommended that we isolate neighbors of that origin and respect the following guidelines."
The guidelines listed are "No touching of handles," "Take the stairs, "No walking through the central hall," "Wear a mask," and "Maximize hygiene with soap, water, alcohol and alcohol gel."
The notice ends with a comment targeting Koreans and Chinese, saying, "Please make sure that people from China and/or Korea respect these rules to avoid a massive coronavirus infection."
The notice treated ethnic Asian residents who have lived there for years as potential carriers or spreaders of viruses. Kang said the worst virus is hatred and ignorance, which is what the post in her apartment was disseminating.
This is not the first racist incident in Argentina because of COVID-19. In late February, a carrier employee made racial slurs about the coronavirus to a Chinese merchant, leading to verbal and even physical violence between the two.
Some seem to believe that attacking Asians is a way of preventing the coronavirus, venting on Asians the daily stress and inconvenience brought on by the outbreak. Their foolish behavior is threatening Asian communities worldwide and suffocating the global community reeling from the pandemic.
A video posted on Facebook by a man of Chinese descent in late February caught the world's attention. In the video, he holds a one-man demonstration blindfolded and wearing a white mask while standing next to a placard saying, "I'm not a virus. I'm a human. Eradicate the prejudice."
Asian immigrants in several countries including Spain and France empathized and began the hashtag #I'mNotaVirus movement. They said they seek to tackle hatred and rectify social awareness.
As a woman and a communications major, I find it hurtful to see some people trying to justify their inhumane violence and putting many others in fear. I am appalled by how they see violence as a way to prevent and combat COVID-19.
COVID-19 does not target certain ethnicities or nations, so seeing a specific group of people as a germ carrier and discriminating against them can never be justified.
The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to abide by instructions from health authorities, thoroughly maintain personal hygiene, and taking care of our health and that of those around us. Rather than doing something meaningless such as trying to find the origin of the coronavirus, we must all be responsible and cooperate to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.
*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.
