Growing Anti-Chinese sentiments in Europe amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus storm
BeWater
Half Vietnamese-Cambodian Sana (phonetic translation) grew up in Paris. This day she got on a bus as usual but attracted disgusting looks and insults from passengers on board. "There is a Chinese woman on the bus! She is going to infect us. She should not go outside. She should have stayed at home!" A passenger told others. People staredat her like she was a virus carrier. No one was willing to speak up for her.
Not long ago, there were reports that a Chinese tourist was spatat in Venice. Korean studentSumin Hwang, 23 year old, and other Asian students were suspended by Conservatorio Santa Cecilia di Roma. A petition in Canada was signed by more than 10,000 people demanding Chinese students to stay off the campus. Advice like "do not to go to Asian supermarkets and restaurants" went viral on social media. A British student wrote to The Guardian stating the currently rampant racism in the United Kingdom was "worse than the virus".Chinatowns in Europe became "the source of virus" that locals should try to avoid.
As the Wuhan Coronavirus sweeps the globe, an anti-Chinese stormis forming in many European countries like the UK, France and Italy where anti-Chinese incidents are reported. As long as you are an ethnic Asian(regardless you are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese or from South East Asia), the chance of being looked at with scorn increases greatly out on the street. The situation is the worst in Francewhere there is a #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus (I am not the virus) campaign. Asians in France took selfies to voice out in the hope of stopping racism arising from stereotyping.
The rise of far-right extremists and nationalists targeting Asians
“Anti-Chinese sentiments due to Wuhan pneumonia is not something that came out of the blue. The epidemic has brought the underlying discrimination to the surface, giving those with biased views reasons to justify their behaviour,” said a German friend of mine.
The Wuhan pneumonia epidemic has triggered a wave of anti-Chinese sentiments in many European countries. It is partially related to the ongoing asylum seeker problems which have been a hard nut to crack. On the other hand, the proportion of Asian population in those countries also comes into play. Anti-Chinese sentiments are relatively more widespread in France, Italy and the United Kingdom. These countries all have increasingly popular far-right parties. When asylum seeker problems remain unresolved and nationalism is on the rise nurturing far-right politics, it is unlikely that these countries would be friendly to immigrants.
From this perspective, it can be understood why there is a lower degree of anti-Chinese sentiment in Germany, where the number of confirmed cases is the highest in Europe. If anti-Chinese sentiment has been mild to begin with, it is reasonable to see no great rise after the outbreak. My German friend pointed out that anti-Chinese sentiment is closely related to population structure. In Germany, Chinese account for only 0.1% of the total population where the figure is 0.7% and 1% in the United Kingdom and France respectively. "Germany does not have a big Chinese population. Rather than discriminating against Chinese, the Germans are probably busier detesting the excessive number of asylum seekers hosted by their government."
Therefore, in February when the German magazine, Der SpiegeI, used "Coronavirus – Made in China– How the Coronavirus Made Globalization a Deadly Threat" as the cover page title, it attractedcriticismsfrom many. The Germans do not subscribe to titles like this that could "bring panic to society". Many even criticised Der Spiegel for "promoting hatred" and "not maintaining journalistic objectivity which mass media should have".
Wearing a face mask to protect oneself may invite discrimination
The number of confirmed Wuhan Coronavirus cases worldwide has gone above 30,000 with 13 in Germany, 6 in France and 3 in the United Kingdom and 3 in Italy. However, in the midst of a rampant epidemic, it is still rare to see anyone wearing a face mask on the street or in public transport in Germany. In fact, many years ago when I first arrived in Germany, I frightened the teachers and my course mates when I put on a face mask because of the flu. I also received attention from passersby on the street. At that time I did not know Germans do not wear face masks when they are ill."What if they spread it to others?" I wondered. When I asked around, the answer was always the same: then so be it. Getting the flu is not a big deal. You wear a face mask only when you are seriously ill.
Why not wear face mask?
To the Germans, you should take a day offif you are sick. You will not infect others if you stay at home. It is also a problem with your immune system if you get infected and you should not blame others. Doctors in most clinics do not wear gloves or face masks.
A face mask is so easily available from a pharmacy around the corner. "Not afraid of getting sick" seems too simple a reason to explain why they do not wear face masks. After consulting a few German friends and doing a bit of research, I find this more convincing – the fear of terrorist attacks stops them from wearing face masks. Terrorist attacks keep rising year by year in Europe and masking the face is one common characteristic of these attacks. As such, many European countries have anti-masking laws and wearing face masks is prohibited unless one has proof of illness. To Europeans, wearing a face mask for a minor illness may not only break the law but also cause panic.
In addition, my German friend suggested another view: not wearing a face mask is related to European national sense of superiority. In 2003, SARS was not widespread in Europe. Through television Europeans saw SARS raging in Asia and it did not matter to most of them. A sense of pride in their health care systems might even emanate leading them to think it is the poor health care standard in Asia which is causing the epidemic. This time with the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic, westerners again do not have the same level of anxiety like Asians, probably because they had not experienced the threat of SARS. They think the new coronavirus is not any worse than the seasonal flu which take thousands of lives every year.
Avoiding the epidemic or "the yellow-skinned"?
As the epidemic spreads, even in more "rational" Germany, increasing cases of discrimination against Chinese can be seen lately. Some were asked whether they were Chinese before being allowed into a restaurant. Passersby would start chattering around you and you could just hear the word "virus". When sick Asians go to hospitals, people in the waiting room try to stay away as far as possible. Even doctors put on gloves when they coming into contact with Asian patients. How to pro-actively prevent an epidemic and, at the same time, avoiding "racism" is an urgent subject European countries need to explore.
Source: The Storm Media, February 2020
https://www.storm.mg/lifestyle/2265534