Biden denounces 'vicious' hate crimes against Asian Americans
President Biden on Thursday night decried violence against Asian Americans who have been "harassed, blamed, and scapegoated" for the coronavirus, saying it is "wrong, it's un-American, and it must stop."
Biden shared the message during his first prime-time address to the nation, ensuring that it was widely heard. Since COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, some people — including former President Donald Trump — have referred to the virus as "kung flu" and the "China plague." Asian American health care workers have reported being harassed and threatened by patients, and there have been several high-profile attacks against Asian Americans walking on the street.
The nonprofit group Stop AAPI Hate found that last March through December, there were more than 2,808 "hate incidents" committed against Asian Americans. Most victims — 71 percent — reported being verbally harassed, while 9 percent experienced physical violence. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there have been hundreds of attacks against Asian Americans reported, with two elderly men shoved to the ground earlier this year — one of them, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, died.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
These are "vicious hate crimes," Biden said, and many of the victims are "on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives, and still they are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America." In January, the president signed an executive order that prohibits the federal government from using "inflammatory and xenophobic" language and instructs the Justice Department to expand reporting, tracking, and prosecutions of "hate incidents."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Try 6 free issues of The Week Junior
Spark your child's curiosity with The Week Junior - the award-winning current affairs magazine for 8-14s.
By The Week Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Michigan shooter's dad guilty of manslaughter
speed read James Crumbley failed to prevent his son from killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Shooting at Chiefs victory rally kills 1, injures 21
Speed Read Gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade in Missouri
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published