An Asian woman was the victim of a racist tirade by a passenger on a subway because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Elen Chen began filming the offensive remarks when another man stepped in to defend her on the train in New York City. The passenger can be heard shouting, ‘You’re Chinese, why did you bring corona to America.’ He then becomes irate when he realizes the interaction is being filmed and begins walking after Chen with his cane raised. The clip ends without showing how the tense altercation ended. Rising Xenophobia The incident comes as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed a rise in ‘unacceptable’ xenophobic discrimination against Asian communities. Last week, the New York City Human Rights Commission said it is probing five instances of coronavirus-fueled racism that occurred over the last two weeks, according to the New York Post. One of the instances saw a 59-year-old man tell police that a teenager kicked him to the ground while screaming ‘Fucking Chinese coronavirus,’ before spitting in his face. Another case involved a woman in Midtown who punched an unmasked Asian woman in the face while shouting ‘Where is your corona mask, you Asian bitch?’ Authorities are also investigating a man who repeatedly harassed an Asian man and his 10-year-old son in Queens.
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