A Filipino health worker reportedly retaliated against a woman who spat on her while riding an N Broadway Express train in New York City on Saturday.
Philippine Consul General in New York Elmer Cato shared information about the alleged incident in a tweet on Saturday that included the hashtag #StopAsianHate.
“A woman picked on the wrong Asian on the N train this morning,” Cato wrote. “She spat on her hand and wiped her saliva on a young Filipino hospital worker seated next to her. She then saw a few stars. Our kababayan [fellow Filipino] comes from a family of boxing legends in the Philippines.”
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
When asked for further comment, Cato did not share any additional information, citing safety concerns involving the Filipino worker.
According to Cato, his office has recorded “almost 40 incidents” of hate crimes and other criminal incidents in New York City involving Filipinos since 2021.
Among these incidents include the attack against a 67-year-old Filipino woman who was punched in the head and face over 125 times inside her apartment in Yonkers, New York, in March.
Cato joined community leaders and local officials on March 15 to condemn the rise of hate crimes that Filipinos and other members of the Asian American community face.
“We know authorities are doing their best to make the streets safe again but we also understand they could not be everywhere,” he said during the news conference. “But we do hope that authorities exert more efforts to remove violent and dangerous people off the streets and make everyone – not just Filipinos or other members of the Asian-American Community – feel safe again.”
Featured Image via @elmer_cato
