Anti-Asian racism: Biden also sees Trump's agitation as a reason

Anti-Asian Racism
Biden also sees Trump's agitation as a reason

A young man wreaked havoc in several massage parlors in Atlanta, most of the victims being Asian women. A few days after the fact, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris travel to town. The US president also denounces the anti-Chinese sentiment of his predecessor.

After the fatal attacks on three massage parlors in the state of Georgia, US President Joe Biden, on a visit to Atlanta, condemned the increasing violence against US citizens of Asian origin and called for more engagement against racism. Hate and violence were "often met with silence" in the United States, he said after a meeting with representatives of the Asian community. "But that has to change, because our silence means complicity."

Racism is a "poison" that has persecuted the United States for too long. "We have to raise our voices, we have to act," he said. The people of the US had to "fight the resurgence of xenophobia". Biden also indirectly criticized his predecessor Donald Trump for his controversial statements on the corona virus. The Republican had repeatedly referred to the virus as the "China virus". "Words have consequences," said Biden. "It's the coronavirus, period."

Biden had traveled to Atlanta with his deputy, Kamala Harris, to meet representatives of the Asian community. It was "heartbreaking" to hear the reports of the grieving people, the president said afterwards.

Perpetrator rejects racist motive

Eight people were killed in the attacks on Tuesday, including six women of Asian origin. The 21-year-old suspect Robert Aaron Long rejects a racist motive. He told police that in the fight against his sex addiction he wanted to "remove" a temptation that had brought him into conflict with his strict religious beliefs. The authorities have not yet confirmed Long's motive. In general, however, the act is a symbol of the intertwining of sexism and racism in the United States.

During his visit to Atlanta, Biden criticized that the number of attacks on people of Asian descent in the USA had "skyrocketed". A report by the Stop AAPI Hate organization confirms this. According to the report released on the day of the attack, hate crimes against people of Asian descent have increased in the US. Last year, according to the information, almost 3800 attacks were registered, women were affected more often than the average.

By order of Biden, the flags on the White House and other public buildings should remain at half-mast until Monday. The House of Representatives observed a minute's silence on Thursday. Vigils were held in several major cities, while police in New York, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and other locations increased their patrols in neighborhoods with high Asian-American populations.

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