Chinese and East Asian Communities: Racism during Covid-19

The hon. Member highlighted the rise in online hate speech against Chinese and East Asian communities during the pandemic, citing a report that found 200,000 hashtags of hate speech and conspiracy theories. He also mentioned that police forces recorded at least 267 offences against 'Chinese people' between January and March, nearly three times the rate of previous years. The hon. Member called for wider regulation of social media platforms to tackle hate speech and its distribution.

Ms Catherine West expressed concern about the rise in bigotry against East Asian communities, highlighting physical attacks, discrimination, and the lack of role models in media. She also called for increased local government funding to support community cohesion initiatives. Asked Kim Johnson whether international students in the UK were also subject to racist abuse during the pandemic, highlighting a need for action on this issue as well. She intervened twice, asking whether those in authority could have better training on pandemic-specific racism and if there are many cases being prosecuted or if this is an under-prosecuted area. She requested that the Minister speak to the Universities Minister about international students such as Mr Mok, and asked for an action plan to address the issues raised in this debate.

He thanked the hon. Member for Luton North and others for their contributions, highlighting the rise in racist offences against Chinese and East Asian people during the covid-19 crisis, including assaults, robberies, harassment, and criminal damage. He expressed concerns about international students arriving in Glasgow and called on the Government to adopt new action plans to combat racism. He asked the Minister to raise with the Foreign Office that strong representations should be made from Whitehall to Washington, DC, regarding unacceptable language.

Welcomed the debate on hate crime against Chinese and East Asian communities, highlighting Liverpool's historic Chinese community dating back to the mid-19th century. Discussed forced repatriation of 1,300 Chinese sailors in 1946 which led to many families being separated without proper information.

Rachel Hopkins highlighted the rise in hate crime against Chinese and East Asian communities during the pandemic, citing a 300% increase in racist hashtags on Twitter. She urged the Government to address online abuse through the upcoming Online Harms Bill and called for accountability from social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Hopkins also criticised politicians, including Donald Trump and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, for using racially charged language and sharing racist content.