In the United States, a previously unknown attacked two women of Asian descent near Times Square with a hammer. The authorities do not rule out a racist motive.
New York – On Sunday evening (May 2nd, 2021) a woman near Times Square attacked two Asian women with a hammer and injured them. The Hate Crimes division of the New York Police Department released a video of the incident. It shows how the stranger suddenly approaches the two women aged 31 and 29 and strikes. The case is being investigated as a possible hate crime against people of Asian descent in the United States.
As the online portal ABC7 New York reports, the woman is said to have previously asked passers-by to remove the masks they were wearing to protect against the corona virus. Then the stranger, who according to a witness was drunk, hit the 31-year-old in the head with a hammer.
Video from Sunday, May 2nd attack on two Asian females, 31 and 29, who were walking on the sidewalk when an unknown individual demanded they remove their masks and then struck the 31-year-old in the head with a hammer causing a laceration. Info? ☎️1-800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/9YMaQfUhzm
— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) May 3, 2021
The 31-year-old named Theresa, who was walking to the subway with a friend in Midtown, spoke to reporters from the ABC7 New York network about the incident. “As I passed her, she saw us and said, ‘Take off your damn mask'”. Then she felt something hit her head. The woman spoke to herself before she struck.
The 31-year-old was injured in the attack and taken to hospital. Her wound had to be sewn with seven stitches.
Racism in the USA: 31-year-old moves back to Taiwan for the time being
According to research by the network, Theresa comes from Taiwan and moved to New York in 2019 to study. After the outbreak of the corona pandemic, however, she returned to Taiwan to support her parents. She had only come back to New York last month. Her parents expressed concern about the increasing violence against Asians.
According to the network, the 31-year-old will now return to Taiwan again. She doesn’t want to move to New York until it’s safer.
Racism in the USA: New York’s mayor calls for solidarity with Asian Americans
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio urged the people in New York to show solidarity with the Asian Americans. “If someone commits an act of violence or bias against Asian-American New Yorkers, he must face the consequences,” said de Blasio. According to the ABC7 report, the number of hate crimes against Asians has increased significantly compared to last year.
In the past few months there have been repeated reports of anti-Asian violence in the United States. Among other things, a femicide in Atlanta had caused horror. A gunman murdered eight people, including six women of Asian origin, on March 16, 2021, the acts took place in various wellness facilities. Arms dealers also reported that recently people with Asian roots have been buying firearms.
The growing hatred of people of Asian descent is justified, among other things, with the outbreak of the corona virus. Former US President Donald Trump had often used the corona pandemic to serve xenophobic prejudices. Among other things, Trump had renamed the corona virus “China virus”. (uf)
