South Asian people in the U.S. are facing alarmingly high levels of hate before the 2024 elections, according to a report.
Nonprofit group Stop AAPI Hate, has reported a steady rise in anti-Asian hate in extremist online spaces from January 2023 to August 2024.
It has said that the sudden ascendance of South Asian figures in U.S. politics coincides with high levels of anti-South Asian hate online and offline.
The report is Empowered/Imperiled: The Rise of South Asian Representation and Anti-South Asian Racism.’
It shows that South Asian people in the U.S. are facing alarmingly high levels of hate ahead of the 2024 elections.
The organisation has captured the dual rise of South Asian political representation and anti-South Asian hate ahead of the U.S. elections.
What Is Stop AAPI Hate?
Stop AAPI Hate is a U.S.-based coalition.
It is dedicated to ending racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAs & PIs).
Why It’s Important?
Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris is of Indian descent.
Likewise, former Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are of Indian descent.
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, is also Indian American.
Harris faces Republican former President Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. elections.
The nonprofit group blamed the rise on a “toxic political climate in which a growing number of leaders and far-right extremist voices continue to spew bigoted political rhetoric and disinformation.”
When Did The Threats Begin To Rise?
Stop AAPI Hate said that online threats of violence towards Asian communities reached their highest levels in August 2024 after Usha Vance appeared at the Republican National Convention.
These threats peaked following Kamala Harris‘ declaration as a presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention.
“The growing prevalence of anti-South Asian online hate …in 2023 and 2024 tracks with the rise in South Asian political representation this election cycle,” it added.
By The Numbers
South Asian communities faced the highest volume of anti-Asian online hostility during that period.
Slurs Against South Asians
Anti-South Asian slurs in extremist online spaces doubled last year and peaked in August 2024.
Number Of Persons Of South Asian Descent In U.S.
There are nearly 5.4 million people of South Asian descent living in the United States.
These comprise individuals with ancestry from nations including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
(With inputs from Reuters)
