After six women of Asian descent were killed during a shooting spree at spas in Atlanta, Georgia, the Atlantic Canadian Asian community is speaking out against the attacks and the rise in hate crime.
“We have done nothing wrong to deserve this, all we want is a better future for our family, for our kids and for our community,” said Khanh Do, a student at St. Thomas University.
In 2018, Do immigrated to Canada from Vietnam for university and a better life, but she says she felt discriminated against as soon as she arrived.
“It’s definitely the Caucasian Canadian community. You already have everything you ever wanted please don’t take anything away from us, from people who are trying to survive,” said Do.
Kyle Nguyen, also from Vietnam, says Asian hate has gotten worse since the pandemic started and believes it is white supremacists that are spreading the hate, and the former U.S. president.
“We would hear things such as ‘go back to where you’re from.’ I think the hate comes more from white people in my opinion. “I definitely felt like Donald Trump plays a big part of it,” said Nguyen.
Jizel Richard, arrived in Canada from Indonesia when she was six years old and says she spent her childhood desperate to fit in with her classmates.
“But ever since the pandemic I have to worry more about if someone is going to see me and assume something, say that I have coronavirus. I was worried and it was strange because I’ve never had to worry about that before,” the University of New Brunswick student.
According to the California State University Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism, hate crimes targeting Asian Americans spiked by 150 per cent in major U.S. cities in 2020, with the largest rise in New York.
In a statement to Global News the Fredericton Police Force said they have investigated just three files for suspected hate-based motivation in 2020, but none resulted in charges.
The students say the numbers don’t tell the real story — incidents are happening, but they’re not reported to police.
“We do not report — we keep it inside because a lot of us are newcomers, because our English is not perfect, because we don’t have a voice,” said Do.
“We try to stay quiet, we don’t want to cause too much trouble but at the same time we don’t want to sound like we are complaining,” said Nguyen.
The Atlantic Canadian Asian community is advising any victims of hate crimes to report them to police.
“I strongly believe that us as Asians and also Black people in the community and all across the world should unite in this situation because you know this is the perfect time to voice up all the issues that we face,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen says Caucasian Americans and Canadians also need to be a part of the unity and stand up for equal rights and opportunities for Asians.
“Please stop. Stop Asian hate, anti-Asian racism. Stop — it’s too much,” said Do.
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