Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and several other US lawmakers have stated that they’re appalled by the continued acts of hate in opposition to Asian Americans and condemned hate, racial discrimination and violence in all kinds.
More than 3,000 incidents of abuse in opposition to Asian Americans have been reported between March and December 2020, in line with Asian American advocacy teams. There have been solely 216 reported circumstances in 2019, in line with FBI statistics.
“I am appalled by the ongoing acts of hate against Asian Americans and the Asian community globally. Racism, hate and violence have no place in our society. I am united with the Asian and Asian American community in standing against this injustice,” Nadella stated in a tweet, a day after US President Joe Biden stated that the ‘vicious’ hate crimes in opposition to Asian Americans within the nation amidst the pandemic was ‘un-American’ and it should cease.
Denouncing ‘violent’ assaults on the Asian Americans, Biden in his first prime-time handle to the nation since assuming workplace in January, stated that members of the group have been harassed, blamed and scapegoated.
In a press release, Microsoft stated that it condemns hate, racial discrimination, and violence in all kinds.
Meanwhile, distinguished lawmakers have joined arms to introduce a laws to handle the rise of hate crimes and violence in opposition to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congressman Donald M. Payne, expressed concern over a rise in racist assaults in opposition to Asian Americans in the course of the COVID-19 international pandemic.
“I want to condemn the abuse and assault that has happened to Asian Americans during his pandemic in the strongest words possible,” Payne stated.
“Hate and violence have no place in America at all. These attacks must stop because they are cowardly attempts to scapegoat and blame Americans for a pandemic that started thousands of miles away. Thankfully, we have a president who supports diversity and will protect all Americans in his language and his actions. It is time for us to come together as a country and that includes all Americans,” he stated.
Senator Dianne Feinstein stated that over the previous few weeks, nominees for the highest three management positions on the Justice Department have appeared earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee, as has the director of the FBI.
“At each hearing the topic of hate crimes came up, in large part due to steep increases in attacks against Asian Americans,” she stated.
“The increase appears to be based on a fabricated connection between the Asian-American community and the COVID pandemic, a conspiracy theory with no basis in fact that is pure racism. We must rebut the conspiracy theory itself and also directly confront the rise in hate crimes,” Feinstein stated.
Senator Alex Padilla, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senator Mazie Hirono and Congressmen Grace Meng in introducing laws to handle the rise of hate crimes and violence in opposition to AAPI communities in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am disturbed by the recent increase in hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California and across the country,” Padilla stated.
“It is clear that this uptick in violence against Asian Americans is the direct result of the racist rhetoric used by political leaders with regard to the pandemic and we must take action to address it. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will direct law enforcement to better collaborate across jurisdictions and expedite the response to COVID-19 related hate crimes, and will work to mitigate racially discriminatory language used to describe the pandemic,” he stated.
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would direct the US Attorney General to designate an official whose sole accountability will likely be to expedite evaluate of COVID-19 hate crimes from federal, state, and native legislation enforcement businesses. The laws additionally directs the Attorney General to challenge steerage to state and native legislation enforcement businesses on acceptable public schooling campaigns and the gathering of information on COVID-19 hate crimes.
The ongoing anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents, particularly in opposition to our aged Asian Americans, is totally horrific, stated Congresswoman Meng. “Since the beginning of the pandemic there have been nearly 3,000 reported incidents of physical, verbal, and online attacks against Asian Americans,” she stated.
Acting US Attorney Tessa M Gorman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Donald M. Voiret stated that at present federal prosecutors and the FBI are reviewing two circumstances involving assaults on Asian-American neighbours which were charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
“These crimes, and other acts of hate and bias, have no place in our community. I urge members of our community to report hate-based crimes to either local or federal law enforcement and to contact our office’s civil rights line with information about discrimination in areas like housing, employment, education, or public accommodations,” Gorman stated.
