B.C.’s anti-racism secretary concerned about South Asian community after India flight ban

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) — In the wake of a ban on flights from India and Pakistan, B.C.’s parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives worries South Asian people in this province may be targetted — and is urging everyone to stand up against hate when they see it.

Rachna Singh says she’s seen how Asian and Indigenous people have already been targeted in this province during the pandemic, blamed, and stigmatized as the cause of infections.

“COVID-19 has been a global pandemic, but in the last year, we also have seen communities disproportionately affected by it, especially with the hate and racism. So it’s very worrisome for me,” she says.

“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen specific communities scapegoated and targeted by hate crimes – Asian communities and Indigenous peoples. I know there is a lot of stress in the South Asian community for their loved ones back home. The concern as to whether their community will be targeted next only adds to that stress during this difficult time.”

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Noting systemic racism is a serious problem in Canada that long-predates the pandemic, Singh says a sharp rise in reported anti-Asian hate crimes shows how bigotry and discrimination have been enflamed and emboldened.

“We’ve had a number of roundtables with community partners in the Asian community, and it has been a very tough situation for them,” she says, adding the experiences people have shared range from being shouted at, to being spit on, to being shoved to the ground.

“This is their home, this is their community, which they are such an integral part of, and this kind of behaviour from their fellow British Columbia — it just breaks my heart. Just listening to those stories and I can’t even imagine what the victims themselves, community members, their family, their friends are going through at this time. ”

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Singh says she’s anxiously watching as India records a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases, and worries for family and friends who live there.

“It is such a sad situation happening in India at this time,” she says.

“Our thoughts should be with those people and how we can support them, not targeting the community here in any way. We know that the variants are coming here to British Columbia. Nobody is to be blamed for that, this is a situation that we have to handle as a collective.”

She urges everyone to do what they can to intervene and interfere with racism when they witness it.

“Don’t be a silent bystander. Racism does occur in different ways it can be very very subtle, and it can be very active,” she says.

“Sometimes I know it is not possible for us to intervene at that moment, but we can help by reporting it to the police, getting help, and talking about it. Advocate if you have the capacity to advocate, even within your own circles.”

Singh reminds anyone who witnesses or is the victim of racism that resources are available through the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network. 

With files from Vanessa Doban