In light of the recent Atlanta spa shootings, where six Asian-American women lost their lives among the eight who died, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), an Indian-American advocacy group has expressed solidarity with the Asian and Pacific American community against the rising racist attacks.
As per data collected by Stop AAPI Hate, a group formed in March 2020 to counter Anti-Asian bias and report the rising xenophobic incidents, close to 3,800 racist attacks, including verbal and physical assaults, discrimination and civil rights abuses targeting Asian-Americans have been reported since the pandemic began.
‘Take Immediate Steps to Protect All Communities’
HAF, in a press statement on 19 March said, “Such incidents clearly illustrate how much farther the United States has to go in protecting all members of our society against bias attacks, the effects of inflammatory rhetoric about immigration, the necessity of accurate and culturally appropriate education so that future generations are no longer beset by such ignorance, hatred, and bigotry.”
The advocacy group also urged law enforcement agencies to take immediate steps to protect all communities from rising hate crimes and called on policy makers to pass legislation that allows law enforcement to “better prevent, respond to, and document hate crimes.”
The Hindu American Foundation also urged people who had either been harassed, assaulted or threatened with harm on the basis of their identity (e.g., race, religion, disability, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation), to not stay silent. Requesting people to immediately report the incident to law enforcement, the group also asked people to report any incidents involving vandalism, hateful graffiti, desecration, arson, or violence directed towards temples or other properties.
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