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Updated May 18th, 2022 at 09:51 IST

Biden decries hate crimes against minorities at AAPI event, calls for 'equality'

Biden and Harris decried hate crimes against minorities at a White House event for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
Biden
Image: AP | Image:self
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United States President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris decried hate crimes against the minorities at a White House event for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month just days after the Buffalo supermarket attack rocked the entire nation. During his address, the US President hailed the community for contributing to making the US a diversified country and stressed that “Hate can have no safe harbour in America”.

Biden said, “Hate can have no safe harbour in America. And every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect”. 

He added, “But you know, you have folks on television stations talking about the replacement theory, scaring the living hell out of people who don’t have a whole lot of emotional stability.”

Both US President and Vice President spoke out against the escalation of hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and even linked the issue more broadly to the shooting which took place over the weekend in Buffalo, New York where the authorities said that the 18-year-old gunman specifically targetted the neighbourhood because of its Black population. 

Harris, who is also the first Asian-American to serve as US Vice President, said, “We must always speak out against violence, against hate crimes and against discrimination whenever and wherever it occurs. And we must do everything in our power to end this epidemic of hate”. 

Biden, Harris seemingly took dig at Republicans, Conservatives

Both Harris and Biden, as per the report by The Hill, appeared to indirectly call out the Republican leaders and Conservative pundits in their remarks and argued that the latter have field racism in the United States. Biden’s reference to the “television remarks” was seemingly a dig at a Fox News host who drew fire against him following the Buffalo shooting. Fox News host Tucker Carlson had baselessly claimed that the Democrats are allowing more immigrants in the country to create more Democratic voters. 

The reception to celebrate AANHPI heritage month came just after earlier on Tuesday, Biden travelled to Buffalo, where he strongly condemned white supremacy. It is to note here that har crimes against Asians spiked dramatically at the beginning of 2020. Civil rights groups even denounced the use of terms such as “Wuhan virus” for coronavirus among other such phrases used by then US President Donald Trump. 

Image: AP

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Published May 18th, 2022 at 09:51 IST

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