Biden denounces hatred and violence against Asian Americans: “It must stop”

President BidenJoe BidenManchin cements key vote status in Senate 50-50 Note: how COVID revalued policy Post-pandemic plans for lawmakers: Chuck E. Cheese, visiting friends, clean hugs MORE on Thursday condemned “vicious hate crimes” against Asian American and island Pacific communities during his early-morning speech marking the one-year anniversary of coronavirus restrictions.

During his first speech in the first hour as president of the White House, Biden acknowledged the sad reality after a year of pandemic and blockade, claiming that every American has suffered some form of loss.

The president said that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders work every day on the front lines of the pandemic, but they still fear for their personal safety walking down the street in the U.S.

“It’s wrong. It’s anti-American. And it has to stop,” Biden said.

Instead of working together to fight the virus, “too often we have turned against ourselves,” Biden continued.

He added that Asian Americans have been “attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoat” since COVID-19 hit the US

“So many of them are fellow Americans, they are at the forefront of this pandemic trying to save lives, and yet they are forced to live in fear for their lives while walking the streets of America,” he said. to say.

Violent attacks on Asian Americans rose nearly 150 percent last year in major cities, especially New York and Los Angeles, NBC News reports.

The escalation of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders came after the coronavirus pandemic, believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, affected the United States in early 2020.

More than 3,000 hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been reported since the coronavirus pandemic began, which Democratic lawmakers and community activists say are related to the anti-Asian rhetoric used by political figures President TrumpDonald TrumpThe note: How he revalidated the COVID policy in Biden seeks his moment with his pandemic A year with the coronavirus: How we get here MORE.

During his tenure, Trump also repeatedly blamed the coronavirus pandemic on China, a move that exacerbated tensions between Beijing and Washington.