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Salon: Critics rebuke Trump's "dangerous" coronavirus remarks for intensifying racism and xenophobia
Salon - President Donald Trump referred to COVID-19 as “the Chinese virus” on Tuesday, prompting critics to accuse him not only of “a mean spirited distraction” but also intensifying racism and xenophobia. . .
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Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, told Salon by email that “calling COVID-19 a ‘Chinese virus’ leads to mistaken beliefs that Asian people are more likely to be infected by the coronavirus and should be avoided or quarantined. The virus is not linked to race or ethnicity, but the pandemic has led to a sharp rise in racism and hate violence against Asians and Asian Americans. As we noted in our tweet last night, Trump and other elected officials should be speaking out against the racist and xenophobic attacks that perpetuate dangerous stereotypes about our community.” . . .
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