Foreign Secretary Teddyboy Locsin Jr. wants the United States government to take a harder stance against its citizens who have been attacking Asian Americans for no reason whatsoever and recommended the deployment of military to address the problem.
Unfortunately, no one came to the victim's aid and a doorman who witnessed the attack in front of a building where it happened refused to come to her aid and worse even closed the door on her.
FOREIGN Affairs Sec. Teddyboy Locsin Jr. today condemned the brutal attack by an unidentified Black man against a 65-year old Filipina in New York City, even as he called on the US government to forgo its soft hand approach and solve the rising cases of hate crimes against Asian Americans with the use of military and police.
This, as he also vowed that the attack on the victim will most certainly influence Philippine foreign policy amid rising anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States.
This is gravely noted and will influence Philippine foreign policy. I might as well say it, so no one on the other side can say, 'We didn’t know you took racial brutality against Filipinos at all seriously.' We do," Locsin said on Twitter.
He, however, refused to elaborate how the attack could redirect the country’s foreign policy.
A police video and another video taken by a bystander showed the woman was attacked in broad daylight by a Black man in midtown Manhattan.
The attacker, who has been identified and wanted by the New York police, yelled, "You don't belong here," then kicked the woman several times on the head and stomach.
Unfortunately, no one came to the victim's aid and a doorman who witnessed the attack in front of a building where it happened refused to come to her aid and worse even closed the door on her.
In his post, Locsin cited as an example the incident in China when a Filipino who was mistaken for a Japanese was attacked and killed by a local after which the government immediately prevented similar incidents by posting military and police in areas where Filipinos live and work.
“It might be noted in this context that when anti-Japanese sentiment ran high in China, and a Filipino family mistaken for Japanese on the street were killed, it was clearly not tolerated because when it spread to Filipino factories the owner got a call from the People’s Liberation Army unit commander, 'Just to let you know, you’re (sic) factories across China (9) are surrounded by PLA units and the Filipino barracks are likewise secure,'" Locsin said.
"The answer to racism has to be police/military; not understanding. Racists understand only force," he then stressed.
To recall, the Philippine Embassy in Washington last February advised Filipinos in the United States to exercise "utmost caution" amid rising incidents of hate crimes against Asians in the country.
"We note with concern the rise in attacks on Asian Americans in various parts of the country. Filipinos are advised to exercise utmost caution in view of these incidents," the statement said.
Asian –Americans are being subjected to attacks in various areas lately after they were accused of bringing the Covid-19 in the US.
Robberies and assault were reported in Chinatowns in major US cities while pandemic-related racism targeting Asian-Americans were also prevalent.
The embassy called on federal, state and local authorities to further ensure the protection of persons of Asian descent, including Filipinos.
Filipinos who experience attacks are advised by the embassy to immediately call 911 to report incidents.
Tags: #HateCrimes, #ForeignAffairsSec.Locsin, #US, #NewYork, # China