Anti-Asian racism rising in pandemic, police data suggest

Incidents of anti-Asian racism have been on the rise, according to report data from the Ottawa Police Service's hate and bias crime unit.

The unit received 15 reports of hate incidents against people of Asian descent in 2020, compared to two reports in 2019, said the City of Ottawa in a statement Tuesday.

However, many more cases go unreported, the city said.

“Members of Ottawa's Asian community have reported being targets of verbal threats, intimidation and even physical attacks.”

The city's statement links the incidents to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Although anti-Asian racism previously existed in Ottawa, the pandemic has created a new form of anti-Asian racism that links China and the novel coronavirus.”

A number of incidents were reported by police or on social media last year. In October, a man reported that a man spit repeatedly on the driver's side window of his car while he was parked directly outside a Vietnamese restaurant in Barrhaven with his fiancée.

Also in October, Ottawa photojournalist Justin Tang documented another incident in a viral Twitter post. Tang said he was walking toward an entrance at the Rideau Centre and was putting on a face mask when he noticed a maskless man holding the door open.

After Tang thanked him, the man said something to the effect of, “`When they make me wear a mask, that makes me want to kill Asian people,'” Tang said.

In May, Ottawa police asked for the public's help in tracking down two people in a car alleged to be behind a series of incidents targeting pedestrians of Asian descent in the area of Viewmount Drive and Four Seasons Drive in the west end. Police received two reports of people inside a newer model grey Hyundai Elantra approaching the pedestrians and yelling racial slurs and obscenities.

The following week, the Ottawa police, Ottawa Public Health and the City of Ottawa launched a campaign aimed at educating, encouraging reporting and pursuing investigation of hate and racist incidents.

Other Canadian cities are seeing the same increase in anti-Asian racism.

In Pembroke, an 80-year-old woman was sent to hospital after a group of teens banged on her door on the night of Aug. 20, then allegedly yelled racial slurs and threw a rock at her head. In October, OPP charged a 12-year-old and two 13-year-olds with assault with a weapon.

“Data shows that assaults and verbal threats toward Asian-Canadians have grown significantly since the start of the pandemic,” said the city in its statement.

“In addition to being called names and experiencing threats and intimidation, some Asian-Canadians report that they have needed to adjust their routines to avoid unpleasant encounters.”

The city said it is committed to advancing a more inclusive and responsive municipal government to ensure all people are served equitably, and has launched an anti-Asian racism campaign spearheaded by Coun. Rawlson King.

“Systemic racism is a community issue that requires community solutions,” said the city. “Every resident has a role to play to uphold the values of equity, allyship and inclusiveness so every resident feels comfortable and secure to call Ottawa home.”

To learn more about the campaign, visit the city's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.