UN Spokesman Farhan Haq issued a statement on behalf of the UN this past Monday, March 22, decrying the global rise of violence against Asians and people of Asian descent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement stops short of singling out any specific country, but comes after the Atlanta shooting that left eight people dead, six of them Asian-American women.
That shooting rekindled fears within the Asian-American community, which was already coping with a rise in hate crimes after then-President Trump began repeatedly referring to COVID-19 as the “China virus” back in March of 2020.
“The world has witnessed horrific deadly attacks, verbal and physical harassment, bullying in schools, workplace discrimination, incitement to hatred in the media and on social media platforms, and incendiary language by those in positions of power,” Haq said. “In some countries, Asian women have been specifically targeted for attack, adding misogyny to the toxic mix of hatred.”
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Haq says, personally deplores the intolerance and stands in solidarity with all people facing racism and violent assaults on their human rights.
“We want all such violence to cease,” he said.
On Friday, during a visit to Atlanta, President Joe Biden noted the alarming uptick in anti-Asian violence and called on all Americans to stand together against all forms of hate, wherever directed.
