Online Hate Against South Asian Americans Steadily Rising

This hostility is closely related to the increasing number of politicians from the South Asian region becoming famous and making their mark on American politics.

Protesters in New York City, U.S., March 21, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Eric Lee

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is of Indian descent, as are former Republican candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance's wife, Usha Vance, is also Indian-American.

According to the report, from January 2023 to August 2024, anti-Asian American hate crimes increased in extremist online spaces.

The increase comes from “a toxic political environment where increasingly vocal leaders and extremist voices from the far right continue to spread disinformation and racist rhetoric.”

"By August 2024, after Usha Vance appeared at the Republican National Convention and Kamala Harris officially became the presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention, violent threats against the Asian American community reached their highest level," according to a report by Stop AAPI Hate.

The report also notes that the increase in hate speech against South Asian Americans in 2023 and 2024 parallels the community's increased political representation in the current election cycle.

Among Asian American groups, South Asian Americans were the most targeted, with 60% of hate speech directed at them. Hate speech in extremist online spaces doubled from about 23,000 last year to more than 46,000 in 2024.

There are approximately 5.4 million people of South Asian descent living in the United States, including people with origins in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Cao Phong (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bao-cao-gia-tang-dang-ke-cac-hanh-vi-thu-dich-tren-mang-nham-vao-nguoi-my-goc-nam-a-post316100.html