#StopAsianHate demonstration in Amsterdam attracts hundreds of people

On the Museumplein in Amsterdam, a demonstration was held on Saturday against "discrimination against people with an Asian background". According to the organization, around 500 people had come to the #StopAsianHate event.

Two weeks ago, a number of interest groups of people of Asian descent organized the first demonstration on Museumplein. The reason was a shooting in the American city of Atlanta in March, in which eight people died. Most of the victims were Asian women. The organizers of the demonstration were surprised that there was so little attention in the Netherlands for these victims and for anti-Asian racism.

"Incidents are also common here," said Hui-Hui Pan, one of the organizers of #StopAsianhate. She is not only talking about physical violence, but also about discrimination in the labor market, the housing market, and ethnic profiling. Until now, Dutch people with an Asian background did not express themselves that much about it, she says, but the people behind this manifestation plan to make themselves heard more often.

Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic that started in China, anti-Asian racism has risen sharply, says Hui-Hui Pan. "Compared to other groups, the number of incidents is high."