Protesters march against Asian-hate
A grandfather afraid to leave his home after being assaulted. Parents at a Christchurch school receiving hateful emails, telling them to keep their ‘‘disgusting virus spreaders’’ home. A woman whose family has been in New Zealand for five generations, but who’s children still are not considered Kiwis.
These are some of the stories of Christchurch’s large and diverse Asian community, who took a stand on Saturday against what they say is a rising tide of anti-asian hate.
A group of around 100 marched from Christchurch’s Bridge of Remembrance to Cathedral Square on Saturday.
Protest organiser Leon Lee, who is from China, said he was there to encourage his own people to speak out if they experienced racism or violence.
‘‘Honestly, I haven’t experienced racism. New Zealand is one of the most friendly places I’ve been to.’’
But he said the country has a long, dark history of anti-asian sentiment, going back to 1881 when Cantonese settlers who wanted to mine gold were taxed, in an effort to stop too many Chinese people migrating to New Zealand.
‘‘Last year with Covid-19, that racism has really amplified.’’
In Christchurch alone, Lee heard of incidents where Asian parents at Rolleston School were emailed during the pandemic, and told them to keep their children at home.
‘‘A lady from Thailand with good qualifications was not able to get a single job here, until she married a Kiwi man and changed her name. People have been confronted in a post office and told to go home.
‘‘I’ve seen an Asian mum who’s been in New Zealand five generations, and her kids still weren’t considered Kiwis.’’
Sammy Zhu, a photographer for the weekly Chinese newspaper the New Zealand Messenger, was punched in the face on the first day of Covid-19 alert level 3 last year, in what he believed was a racially-motivated attack.
The 60-year-old had lived in Christchurch for 20 years, and the incident left him afraid to go outside.
Lee said a desire not to make waves, or cause any trouble, was part of his culture. ‘‘I think we should stop that. We need to stand up, and speak up for ourselves.’’
Taiwan-born Christchurch City councillor Jimmy Chen also spoke, explaining action that could be taken in response to racism, such as lodging a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission.