- By Shivangi Sharma
- Thu, 10 Oct 2024 06:22 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
As the US elections approach, with less than one month remaining, a fresh report indicates that South Asian individuals in the US are experiencing distressingly high levels of hate ahead of the 2024 elections.
The nonprofit organisation Stop AAPI Hate has documented a consistent increase in anti-Asian hate within extremist online platforms from January 2023 to August 2024. The report indicates that the recent prominence of South Asian individuals in US politics has coincided with elevated levels of anti-South Asian hate both online and offline.
Stop AAPI Hate reported that online threats of violence against Asian communities surged to their highest levels in August 2024, coinciding with Usha Vance's appearance at the Republican National Convention.
These threats peaked after Kamala Harris was declared a presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention.
The organisation noted, "The increasing incidence of anti-South Asian online hate in 2023 and 2024 aligns with the rise in South Asian political representation during this election cycle."
Alarming Rise In Anti-South Asian Hate Speech
Recent research from Stop AAPI Hate and Moonshot reveals that the use of anti-South Asian slurs, slogans, and phrases in monitored violent extremist spaces has increased twofold since January 2023.
Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian descent, is joined by former Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance's Indian American wife, Usha Vance, in the 2024 US elections, where Harris faces former President Donald Trump.
A report indicates a steady increase in anti-Asian hate in extremist online spaces from January 2023 to August 2024, attributing this rise to a "toxic political climate" fueled by leaders and far-right extremists spreading bigoted rhetoric and disinformation.
