An Australian woman has revealed anti-Asian racism ‘isn’t something limited to the US’ after coming across a hate speech written on a path in a progressive suburb.
Sydneysider Zoe came across the offensive words ‘F**k Off Back To China’ engraved in concrete in Beaconsfield on Easter Sunday. The small inner-city suburb has a large Chinese-Australian community.
‘This isn’t something limited to the US, and it’s not something we can say doesn’t happen here,’ Zoe wrote in a statement shared by activist Alyssa Ho.
‘This vandalism was done a street away, in the inner city suburb I live in. A street I walk down daily, a street where East Asian children ride their bikes up and down.’
Writer Alyssa Ho (pictured) shared the a photo of the racist slur with her Instagram followers
The words ‘F**k Off Back to China’ were found in the inner-city suburb of Beaconsfield, Sydney
After seeing the offensive slur near her home, Zoe contacted the City of Sydney council who sent out a crew to remove it four hours later.
‘[For] the next four hours residents of our Asian Australian communities who live in or walk down this street, will be reminded of their otherness,’ said Zoe.
‘That no matter how much they contribute to our society, we will forever be kicking our legs underwater; constantly trying to prove we are worthy of equality.’
Writer and activist Alyssa Ho said she was ‘absolutely heartbroken’ over the incident in a post on Sunday.
‘Australia prides itself on its multiculturalism but we cannot ignore that racism is rife here,’ Ms Ho wrote.
‘Last year is when we saw a rise in attacks, hatred and fear against Asians in Australia.
‘Stop refusing to believe that racism isn’t well and truly alive in Australia. Dismantle the culture that exists here of us versus them. Call out racism.’
Alyssa Ho (pictured) said she was ‘absolutely heartbroken’ because of the racist incident
Sydney woman Zoe said racist attacks against Asians ‘isn’t something limited to the US’
The incident follows a spate of murders of Asian women and bashings of Asians in the United States of America, which are believed to have been racially motivated.
Nearly four thousand incidents of racist attacks against Asians, mostly women, were reported by US discrimination reporting forum ‘Stop AAPI hate’ in the last year.
This includes the murder of six Asian women in Atlanta, USA, and numerous brutal bashings of women – including elderly ones – recorded on video in public spaces.
A survey by the Australian National University found four in five Asian-Australians had experienced racism since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In March this year, a young pregnant couple in Perth were called n*ps and g**ks while waiting for an ultrasound.
Two international students were bashed in Melbourne in a racist attack and two sisters in Sydney were spat and told they carry coronavirus last year.
Ms Ho (pictured) says that the Covid pandemic has seen a rise in attacks against Asians
Sydney of City’s response to Zoe’s complaint
The Australian Human Rights Commission said the increase in racism targeting Asian Australians could be attributed to increased tensions between the Australian and Chinese Government and the Covid-19 pandemic.
They believed some people did not differentiate between people of Asian descent living in Australia and the Chinese Communist Party, and some unfairly blamed Chinese people for the coronavirus pandemic.
A study by the Australian National University found 84.5 per cent of Australians from an Asian background reported facing Covid-19 related discrimination in 2020.
‘We know that sadly many Asian-Australians still face and experience discrimination every day,’ survey Director Mr Jieh-Yung Lo said.
‘In our survey last year, around 15 per cent of Australians identified as being Asian-Australian. The research shows that Asian-Australians play a pivotal role in the success of our society and nation.
‘They have been a pillar of our society for generations. We must do better; we can do better.’
Anti-Discrimination NSW said they received 241 complaints between January and April of 2021, and said 62 were on the ground of race.
Reasons included being abused, spat at in public, harassed for wearing a face mask and having their car windows smashed in.
Jamie Shin and his partner (pictured) were racially abused while waiting for an ultrasound
