London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

Asian hate crime during Covid: Young people speak out about abuse

Asian hate crime during Covid: Young people speak out about abuse

Young people from the Asian community have spoken out on the abuse they have faced since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold.

From “looks of disgust”, physical assaults and being coughed at, the level of racist abuse against Asians has stoked fear in the community, which has withstood a wave of hate crime over the past year.

In 2020, Metropolitan police figures revealed that between January and June they had recorded a total of 457 race-related crimes against people of “Oriental” ethnicity or those who self-defined as Chinese.

The Independent reported that in February alone last year 64 incidents of racist hate crimes against “Oriental” victims had been recorded – this is more than twice the number in the previous year which stood at 29.

In March, this figure rose again to 101, nearly three times as more than in March 2019 and 2018.

Nepalese musician, Kanti Gurung, 22, who lives in North Acton, London, said: “I was in Asia before the pandemic was announced and when I left England everything was still fine but when I came back to London everything was shut down, people were isolated and scared to walk on the streets.

“That is when I noticed the difference and straightaway, I felt this social disillusionment of me for being Asian.

The 22-year-old, who has since returned to Korea to visit her sister, said that it was when she heard about Jonathan Mok, a Singaporean student, who was heavily beaten during a racist attack, that she realised how serious things were.

The UCL law student was assaulted on Oxford Street, London in February 2020 by a group of boys in an ‘unprovoked attack,’ where they told him “we don’t want your coronavirus in our country.”

A 16-year-old boy, who was involved in the violent act, was convicted earlier this year for racially aggravated grievous bodily harm following a trial at Highbury Corner Youth Court.

And it was just last month on February 25, a year on from Mr Mok’s attack that a bloody image of Peng Wang, a university lecturer, circulated on social media after he was also beaten and left needing treatment.

The 37-year-old from Southampton was punched and kicked to the ground by a group of men, after they allegedly yelled racist slurs at him and became violent when he shouted back.

A 23-year-old man was arrested and has since been released but Hampshire Constabulary is still appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Like Ms Gurung, many other Asian’s in London and across the country are grappling with heightened anxiety about their safety.

But she says after years of being taught to “keep quiet and not fight back” they’re now reclaiming their voices and speaking up.


John Barco, 24, a Filipino from Newham, London, told the Standard that racism against Asians is not “new” but it has simply been exacerbated because of the pandemic.

His comments come after an early study by Ipsos, looking into people’s behaviour, found that one in seven Britons in the UK had said at the start of the pandemic that they would start to avoid people of Chinese appearance or origin.

Mr Barco said that such reports and attacks made him “scared” for his mother, a nurse, who often travels on her own.

“My mother’s colleagues are also Filipino and one of them got close to being physically attacked on the bus and then another one got verbally abused, just because she was Asian.

“That was pretty much it, just because she was Asian during a time where Covid was at its highest and everyone decided to make the link between Asia and us as though we were the viruses,” he added.

The 24-year-old said he wished he could be there for his mother 24/7 and pick her up from work but he is not able to.

“Both my parents work so it’s not always a case where my dad and I can pick my mum up so sometimes she comes home by herself.

“It’s gotten to a point where I can’t take it anymore, seeing and hearing all the stuff happening to people that look like me.

“I think it’s important to talk about the issue of Asian hate crime because not enough is being done about it and we can see it’s becoming more and more prominent across the world and it’s important to let people know we don’t stand for it.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
×