- Since the onset of COVID-19, monitoring groups such as covidracism.ca and elimin8hate.org have received more than 1,500 incidents of anti-Asian racism, most of which originated in British Columbia. Kasari Govender, British Columbia’s Human Rights Commissioner, said the province continues to report the most anti-Asian incidents per capita in North America, according to The Discourse.
- Govender’s Human Rights Commission Office will conduct a public inquiry, which will come in the form of a year-long investigation beginning this fall. However, the probe will not only focus on anti-Asian hate or racism toward other groups, but also hate “in all its forms.”
- “Many of us are uncomfortable acknowledging hate because we want to think of our country as a peaceful, respectful place. The truth is that hate is here, and it is growing,” Govender said in a statement.
- The inquiry will hear from experts, anti-racism groups and victims of hate incidents themselves, but those hearings will not be done in public to protect their safety. Govender said they will seek input in a variety of ways, including surveys, written submissions, emails and telephone calls, according to CTV News.
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- “It’s always been bad, even before the pandemic and so far, it’s only been apologies,” Kwok told the Vancouver Sun. With COVID-19, the city’s Chinatown has reportedly seen vandalism and trashing on a daily basis, forcing Chinese-owned businesses to close.
- Kwok said authorities are now patrolling the neighborhood, but it has taken a long time for the city to even acknowledge the problem. The community leader also claimed that police have “pressured us to not press charges for these hate crimes.”
- It also does not help that bylaw officers allegedly impose fines on Chinese store owners for graffiti on their own storefronts. “That is systemic racism,” Kwok pointed out.