Spread of ‘Horrendous’ Racist Incidents Against Chinese in NZ on the Rise
New Zealand Chinese community leader says the outbreak of racism related to coronavirus fears is “very hurtful.”
Kai-Shek Luey, chair of the Auckland Chinese Community Centre, says since the virus began to spread, he has heard “quite a few” stories of Chinese people being subjected to racism.
In many cases, says Mr Luey, people of Chinese origin are told to “go back home”. One person he knows was told that, despite being born in New Zealand and never even having visited China.
“It is hurtful to a lot of people because we feel that we are generally good citizens, obey the law of the land and try and make a positive contribution,” Mr Luey said.
He said it was not uncommon for latent racism to surface in such times and said the community had “experienced it all before”, going back to the poll tax placed on Chinese people in the 1880s.
Mr Luey urged people to remember that “we are a country of immigrants”, adding “tolerance
is important”. On Thursday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed a New Zealander had tested positive for the virus on a cruise ship near Japan. Thirteen Kiwis are on the ship, which has been placed in lockdown, though no cases have been confirmed within New Zealand.
Despite the absence of confirmed cases here, fears it will eventually arrive are sky-high.
Before the flights ban, some taxi drivers in Auckland refused to work at the international airport in order to mitigate their risk of contracting the virus.
Rotorua Lakes Councillor Fisher Wang has also spoken out against racist and xenophobic remarks against Chinese people in the community. His comments came after three Chinese tourists were taken to hospital in January to be assessed for the virus. All three were later cleared.
Other stories of racism have also surfaced.
One viewer of The AM Show said they witnessed a “horrendous” scene at a supermarket when a woman starting yelling at an elderly Asian woman choosing her fruit and vegetables.
The lady yelled: “do you f **** n Chinese people have to touch the fruit and veggies with your hands - why can’t you just look with your eyes?” the viewer said.
“It was horrendous, and it made a fair few people uncomfortable and that poor elderly lady scurried off from what she was doing. It needs to stop, this is their home.”
The New Zealand Chinese Association has also said it is “concerned that people of Chinese heritage are experiencing harassment and abuse sparked by fears about coronavirus”.
Newshub