The hate and violence that the Asian-American community has endured over the last year are in the spotlight due to the Atlanta shooting that took the lives of eight people, six women of Asian descent.
Whether it’s verbal or physical attacks, anti-Asian attacks have seen a rise, with many using the coronavirus pandemic as a scapegoat to spew hate.
During a segment on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” host John Oliver played a clip from “The View” co-host Meghan McCain who in the past referenced COVID-19 as the “China virus.”
Oliver played the clip from a panel discussion on “The View,” where McCain stated that concerns on what nicknames people such as former President Trump gave COVID-19 were overblown.
McCain took to Twitter, where she condemned the recent physical attacks and hate speech incidents targeting Asian Americans. Furthermore, she apologized for her mistakes in using language that fueled these attacks in the past.
“I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American community. There is no doubt Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric fueled many of these attacks, and I apologize for any past comments that aided that agenda,” McCain tweeted.
Asian Americans have argued that labeling the coronavirus as the China virus” or “Kung flu” has fueled the rise in violence targeting their communities.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
