'It's wrong, it's un-American and it must stop': President Biden denounces attacks against Asian Americans

During his first primetime address to the nation, President Joe Biden denounced violent attacks against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic as un-American, calling on the attacks to end immediately.

Discussing how the pandemic had served to divide and antagonize Americans on a range of issues, Biden called out "vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who've been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated."

"At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans, are on the frontlines of this pandemic trying to save lives," Biden said of Asian Americans who have worked in front-line jobs during the pandemic. "And still, still they are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It's wrong, it's un-American and it must stop," Biden declared in his condemnation of the attacks.

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The president's comments, in sharp contrast to the inflammatory and often xenophobic remarks of his predecessor, come after weeks of outcry from the Asian American community.

Incidents of hate incidents against Asian Americans have risen markedly during the pandemic. Recent attacks, including multiple violent attacks on elderly Asian Americans, have sparked outrage and activism in the Asian American community and spurred lawmakers and organizers to respond to the threat.

"Racially motivated violence and other incidents against Asian Americans have reached an alarming level across the United States since the outbreak of COVID-19," a United Nations report released last year found, citing sharp rises in vandalism, physical assaults and robberies against Asian American people, businesses and community centers.

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During his first week in office, Biden issued a memorandum condemning racially motivated violence and harassment against Asian Americans, directing federal agencies to develop methods to investigate and counter such racially targeted attacks.

In February, Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Asian American vice president, spoke out on the matter, stating the administration was taking steps to address the spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans.

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"Despite these increasing acts of intolerance, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made our Nation more secure during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout our history," a White House's statement from January stated. "The Federal Government should combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and should work to ensure that all members of AAPI communities — no matter their background, the language they speak, or their religious beliefs — are treated with dignity and equity."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden denounces rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans