Anti-Asian hate crime rises 339% in US, study finds link to pandemic

Asian Americans in
the United States saw a 339% increase in hate crimes, according to a study by
the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. The study found an 11% rise in suspected
hate crimes in the US with New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles surpassing
their 2020 records.

Experts studying
hate crime have linked the rise in such crimes against Asian Americans to the
coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic began in China and triggered a wave
of infections as well as a wave of hate crimes, first against Chinese Americans
and then against Asian Americans.

The association of
Asian Americans with the coronavirus was made by President Donald Trump, among
others, when he decided to call the virus the “China virus”.

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“Reports of
increased anti-Asian hate in 2021 are, sadly, not a surprise,” said John C. Yang,
president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a
nonprofit civil rights group to NBC News. “Our communities are still under
attack and we must continue our efforts to address anti-Asian hate.”

The study also
found that greater awareness among Asian Americans led to greater reporting of
crimes. Areas where there are more racially-conscious Asians and journalists
working on the subject see greater reportage than others.  

While Asian
Americans saw the biggest rise in hate crimes, Black Americans continue to be
the most targeted group in the US. In New York, however, it was the Jewish
community that reported the largest number of hate crimes. Hate crimes against Jewish
people were linked to increases to the Gaza War in May.

Gay men were at
the receiving end of the highest number of hate crimes in Chicago. Los Angeles
recorded the greatest number of hate crimes in any city this century.

“We must bring
attention to the hate that impacts all communities. The support of our allies
representing diverse communities of colour and diverse faith communities has
meant a great deal as our Asian American communities have been under attack,”
said Yang.