Anti-Asian online hate in US saw 'alarming surge' after election, report says
WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Anti-Asian online hate in the U.S. has seen an "alarming surge" since the 2024 U.S. elections won by Donald Trump, data released by Stop AAPI Hate showed, citing what the nonprofit group called the U.S. president's anti-immigration agenda and an intense debate surrounding H-1B visas.
KEY QUOTE
"Since Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, there has been an alarming surge in anti-Asian hate online - including slurs and threats of violence," the nonprofit group, which documents discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S., said on Thursday.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Rights advocates have been critical of Trump's immigration crackdown which they say fuels anti-immigrant rhetoric. They have also criticized Trump's attempts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs, saying DEI policies help ensure equal opportunities for marginalized groups facing historical inequities.
Trump says his policies target immigrants who came into the U.S. illegally. He calls DEI discriminatory and "anti-merit."
Indians account for the bulk of H-1B U.S. visas, which Trump has backed despite vocal opposition by some of his supporters.
BY THE NUMBERS
January 2025 marked the highest number of online anti-Asian slurs by month since monitoring began in August 2022, Stop AAPI Hate said, with a total of 87,945 slurs. Since the election, observed slurs have increased 66%, the data showed.
The surge was mostly driven by anti-South Asian slurs, which increased by 75% in January, versus November.
Similarly, threats of violence against Asians online rose by over 50% in both December and January, compared to November, the data showed.
Some online rhetoric centered around Indians "stealing jobs" and threatening "white livelihood," the nonprofit group said.
CONTEXT
Online hate against Americans of Asian, especially South Asian, ancestry had risen steadily in 2023 and 2024 with the rise to prominence of politicians from that community, Stop AAPI Hate said in the build-up to the November elections.
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