Asian Americans take safety into own hands amid surge in hate crimes: FT

LONDON - A spate of violent attacks against Asians in the United States and a lack of effective government intervention have prompted Asian Americans to take safety into their own hands, The Financial Times (FT) reported.

The measures taken by Asian Americans range from taking self-defense classes to acquiring pepper spray and whistles, the British newspaper said on Sunday.

Since the pandemic, anti-Asian hate has escalated nationwide in the United States, something many blame on former US President Donald Trump's rhetoric early in the pandemic, it said, noting that in New York City, the police department estimates hate crimes against Asian Americans jumped over 360 percent in 2021.

Christina Yuna Lee, a 35-year-old Asian American woman, was stabbed over 40 times by a stranger who followed her home in February, one of the most harrowing attacks on Asian Americans in New York City in recent months, it said.

Asian American women accounted for 62 percent of the 10,905 hate incidents logged between the start of pandemic in March 2020 and the end of December, it said, citing a recent report from Stop AAPI Hate, a non-profit group that tracks violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.