Heartbroken Chinese citizens have faced a racist backlash across the globe amid coronavirus outbreak.
Hotels and restaurants in many countries have also refused to accept Chinese customers.
Some people even marched near a hotel and called on Chinese citizens to leave.
Chinese and other Asians in the United States, Europe, the Pacific, and Asia complained of racism as two dozen countries have reported cases of coronavirus, which took the lives of over 300 people.
A French teacher started a conversation on Twitter under #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus (I am not a virus) and it has drawn stories of discrimination – from subway passengers moving away from those who look like Asians to children bullied in the schoolyard.
A regional newspaper in France had a front-page headline warning of a ‘Yellow Alert.’ It also apologized for the criticism.
Soc Lam, a legal adviser to Chinese community groups in Paris, said: “It’s a virus that comes from a region in China. It could have come from North Africa, Europe or anywhere.
“People should not consider that just because we are Asian, we are more likely to spread the virus.”
Jyllands-Posten, a Danish paper, published a cartoon that replaced the yellow stars of the Chinese flag with virus. The Chinese Embassy called it ‘an insult to China’ and demanded an apology.
A noodle restaurant refused to serve customers from China. It wrote on Facebook: “We want to live longer. We want to safeguard local customers. Please excuse us.”
After it was reported that someone in Arizona State University has coronavirus, Ari Deng, a Chinese American, said that other people started whispering when she sat down at a study temple.
“They got really tense and they quickly gathered their stuff and just left at the same time,” she expressed. “It stings but I don’t let it take up room in my mind or weigh on my conscience.”
One internet user commented: “Its not that their Chinese, its that they might be carrying a disease that originated from China. If this were Australia people would feel and react in the same way. Its not abuse, its fear and genuine concern for our lives.”
Another wrote: “It’s not racism, it is just fear.”
A third added: “I think we’re being tested, but not for any virus.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this post with your family and friends!
Replaced!