An elderly Filipino woman was assaulted by an unidentified woman in New York City in broad daylight last week in the latest of a number of recent attacks on Filipinos in the United States.
The 74-year-old victim was reportedly walking along Madison Avenue near East 52nd Street at around 11 a.m. when she was “punched without provocation” by the suspect, the Philippine Consulate General in New York said in an advisory.
Consul General Elmer Cato shared a video clip of the unprovoked attack in a Twitter post which shows the old woman falling to the ground after being hit by what appears to be a female attacker.
“Most of the high profile cases of unprovoked assaults against Filipinos in New York City that have been reported or monitored involve elderly women like this,” Cato wrote in his tweet.
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The Consulate urged the Filipino community in the U.S. to take extra precautions while walking the streets or riding the subways, particularly those visiting New York.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (PDFA) said in a statement that the issue has been raised with American officials.
“Recently, Philippine Consul General Cato raised this issue with the concerned authorities in New York City, who gave the assurance that they are taking this matter very seriously and are taking steps to address it,” the statement read.
While the incident is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force, no further information has been revealed about the victim or the incident as of this writing.
PDFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza told reporters that the number of hate crimes against Filipinos has reached 43, most of which occurred in New York City, Manhattan and Queens.
The recent attack was the third incident against Filipinos in New York in just a month.
On July 13, an 18-year-old Filipino tourist was hit in the face while walking with three other Filipinos near the Philippine Center in Manhattan. Just three days later, a 51-year-old Filipino woman was harassed and verbally assaulted by a homeless woman.
Featured Image via @CeFaanKim
