US Vice President Kamala Harris in Wilmington, Delaware.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Vice President Kamala Harris responded to a recent wave of violent attacks on Asian Americans on Friday.
“We must remain committed to the fight against racism and discrimination,” Harris said on Twitter.
Videos of recent attacks on elderly Asian Americans in California’s Bay Area have circulated on social media over the past week.
A video showed a 91-year-old man being pushed from behind and landing face down on the street in the Chinatown neighborhood of Oakland, Harris’s hometown.
Another video showed 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee being forcibly pushed to the ground in San Francisco. He later died, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Harris’ comments come on the Lunar New Year, as the Covid pandemic and fears of violence have dampened holiday celebrations.
Other politicians have taken note of the matter.
“Particularly in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, a time of cultural pride and celebration for millions of Asian Americans, the increase in attacks in Chinatowns in particular has had a chilling effect on our community,” said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., President of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said in a statement Thursday.
Incidents of hatred and violence against Asian Americans have increased during the Covid pandemic. Proponents say anti-Asian sentiments have been fueled by the actions of leaders such as former President Donald Trump, who consistently referred to the coronavirus in terms like ‘Chinese virus’ and ‘Kung flu’.
“Across the country, there were more than 2,500 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents involving COVID-19 between March and September 2020,” a recent survey by the Asian American Bar Association of New York and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
“And this number underestimates the true number of anti-Asian hate incidents because most of the incidents go unreported,” the study said.
When asked at a White House briefing Monday about President Joe Biden’s response to the recent violent attacks on Asian Americans, press secretary Jen Psaki said the president condemns discrimination against Asian Americans.
“He was forthright and made it clear that attacks – verbal attacks, attacks of any kind – are unacceptable and that we must work together to deal with them,” said Psaki.
Biden signed an executive order against xenophobia against Asian Americans on Jan. 26.
“We appreciate President Biden’s executive order calling for greater protection for the [Asian and Pacific Islander] community as a result of racism and xenophobia linked to the pandemic, and we thank those who show solidarity with the API community, ” California’s Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus said in a statement Thursday.
“But it is not enough to simply reject racism, xenophobia and violence. We need to draw attention to these injustices and protect each other,” said the caucus.