COVID-19 and the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes

According to a new study, the arrival of COVID-19 has brought with it a resurgence of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

“COVID-19 has enabled the spread of racism and created national insecurity, fear of foreigners, and general xenophobia, which may be related to the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic.”.

The Hate Crime Statistics Act defines a hate crime as one that is prompted by “prejudice based on race, gender and gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.”.

To assess the level of anti-Asian hate crimes during the current pandemic, the study references statistics collected by the Stop AAPI Hate self-reporting tool (AAPI stands for Asian American Pacific Islander).

Gover says, “As of July 1, the Stop AAPI Hate self-reporting tool had recorded over 800 discrimination and harassment incidents against Asian Americans in California in the span of three months, including 81 assaults and 64 potential civil rights violations.”.

The study’s authors credit social media with playing “a significant role in publicizing racialized attacks against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

When the 2020 crime statistics are collated and published in 2021, we may have a more fine-grained understanding of pandemic-prompted anti-Asian hate crimes