Asians hit back against racism surge in Canada

Thousands of people of Asian heritage have taken to the streets under the banner of "Stop Asian Hate" in protests across Canada as a movement against racism and violence gathers force.

The demonstrations have taken place against the backdrop of a surge in anti-Asian incidents in the United States and Canada, and come shortly after a shooting spree left eight dead－six of them women of Asian descent－in Georgia, the US.

On Sunday, demonstrations were held in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary, with solidarity expressed for the families of the Atlanta victims, according to the Chinese Canadian National Council, one of the organizers.

The council has documented more than 1,000 anti-Asian incidents since the start of the pandemic early last year. Sixty percent of them were reported by women.

"These racist incidents have resulted in a deep and long-lasting impact on the Asian Canadian community as a whole," said Avvy Go, director of the Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic. "We need the prime minister and all parliamentarians to take a stand against anti-Asian racism. Instead of empty rhetoric, we demand concrete action."

Rally organizers urged lawmakers to act against hate and condemn "scapegoating Chinese people for the COVID-19 pandemic".

Research shows that there has been a significant increase in hate crimes against Asian Canadians since the start of the pandemic, with major cities in Canada seeing rates that are 600 to 700 percent higher than the previous year.

According to data from Fight COVID Racism, there were 891 such incidents reported across Canada as of mid-March.

Rally participant Andrew Li said that there has been growing fear-mongering and hatred toward Asians over the past year in Vancouver, where anti-Asian incidents soared 717 percent in 2020.

"I've been in Canada for 49 years. This is the only home I know, but I've never felt 100 percent at home," Li told Global News.

Another protester, Binci Lai, who grew up in Vancouver, told the media that the twin pressures of the pandemic and former US president Donald Trump's anti-China rhetoric have served to push the hatred to the surface.

"The pandemic and a lot of comments from Trump calling COVID the 'China virus', the 'kung flu virus', have exacerbated the racism and has made it more overt and more physical," said Lai, adding that she always felt Asians weren't fully accepted in Canada.

Police found two instances of vandalism targeting the Asian community in Toronto last week that they are investigating as hate crimes.

Toronto Mayor John Tory said racism against those with backgrounds from East Asia has risen to the "top of the list" of reported hate crimes in Canada's largest city in recent months.

"I am discouraged to hear about violent and threatening behavior against our residents that is fueled by hate and racism," Tory said last Thursday. "Acknowledging its existence is the motivation I need to cement my commitment to eradicate this behavior."

Concrete plan urged

Pledging that the city needs to move quickly to create a concrete plan to combat the issue, the mayor is also asking Toronto residents to speak up and stand up against racism directed to people of East Asian heritage.

"Often these attacks, whether verbal or physical, are not reported because even when they are, they are not considered hate crimes," said City Councilor Kristyn Wong-Tam. "When these incidents occur, we must be bold in the face of white supremacy, racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic violence."

Senator Victor Oh said: "Today, we find ourselves in a delicate political and social climate where innocent citizens of Asian descent have become scapegoats and targets of hate crimes. It is a sad reality that Asian Canadians have to face these threats of racist attacks in their everyday lives."

David Choi, national executive chair of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, said: "Humans are not born racists. Where there is racism, we must double up efforts to address it through the education system, cultivate children's upbringing and address racism in society through public education, law enforcement and the judicial system."

More than 6 million ethnic Asians call Canada their home. Asian Canadians have helped build the country through the construction of railroads in the 1800s, new business development and growth, and pandemic-response efforts.