Anti-Asian Racism Is Also Rising in Canada

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) American liberals often look north for a vision of what could be. Canada: land of publicly funded health care, evidence-based gun regulation and immigrant-driven multiculturalism.

These virtues are not exactly myths. The population of Vancouver, where I have been for the past several weeks, is roughly equal parts European Canadian and Asian Canadian, with each representing more than 40% of the total. But Canada is not liberal Valhalla, and Canadians, contrary to the Dudley Do-Right clichés, are not always super nice. As Americans grapple with a Covid-era spike in racist violence against Asian-Americans, there is evidence of a similar wave in Canada.

A new report, funded by the Canadian government, suggests that Canadians of Asian descent have been targeted for abuse by their countrymen. Compiled by civic groups such as the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, the report documents “anti-Asian racism across Canada one year into the Covid-19 pandemic.” From March 10, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021, researchers recorded 1,150 anti-Asian incidents in Canada. They included physical assaults, instances of coughing or spitting on victims, and verbal harassment.

Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, told me that there were more anti-Asian incidents per capita in Canada in the past year than in the U.S. In Vancouver, police documented 98 anti-Asian hate crime incidents last year, up from 12 in 2019. ..............(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-04-02/anti-asian-hate-crimes-in-canada-show-racism-knows-no-borders?srnd=premium