A rise in Canada-wide demonstrations to combat anti-Asian racism, in the wake of Atlanta shootings

Article by Rahaf Al-Farawi

Protesters took to the streets of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal last week to protest anti-Asian hate crimes, which have dramatically increased since the start of the global pandemic. 

This followed the tragic murders of eight people in Atlanta, Ga., on Mar. 16, 2021. Six of the eight victims were Asian women. However, Canada is no exception to the violence.

A new government-funded report found an alarming rise in violence against Asians in Canada in the past year. The report detailed over 1,100 reported hate crimes between Mar. 10, 2020, and the end of February 2021. 

“We are making that connection, that since the pandemic started…the increase in anti-Asian racism specifically can be attributed to a result of COVID-19,” Const. Tamsin MacDonald, of the Calgary Police Service’s diversity resource team, said in an interview with Global News.

A study conducted by Project 1907 revealed that Canada has a higher number of anti-Asian hate crimes per capita than the United States. Though, with the low rates of reporting, the data is difficult to quantify. 

“This myth about Canada that we are multicultural, more kind, we’re gentler than Americans, to me that’s just a myth. As racialized Canadians, particularly racialized women, we know that the reality is quite different,” Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, said in an interview with Vancouver Is Awesome.

British Columbia has the highest number of reported incidences of anti-Asian violence per capita within those communities of any sub-national region in North America. As a result, government officials in British Columbia are looking to bring anti-racism legislation later this year. 

An interactive map detailing reported hate crimes against Asians in North American since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Swidda Rassey/RSJ)

“This is no surprise to the community… The fear is really, really high in Alberta,” Teresa Woo-Paw, founder of Act2EndRacism, said in an interview with Global News.

According to a report by Project 1907, Vancouver has the highest number of anti-Asian hate crimes, which increased by more than 700 per cent between 2019 and 2020. The incidents include racial slurs, physical assaults and graffiti on Asian businesses. The data also showed that Asian women accounted for 70 per cent of the reported incidents. 

An interactive Timeline documenting the rise of anti-Asian racism during the Covid-19 pandemic in North America. (Elizabeth Benner/RSJ)

If you have been a victim of or witnessed anti-Asian racism in Canada, here are some resources for self-reporting:

Project 1907

Fight COVID Racism

Act2endracism