March 10, 2020
The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today condemned racist coronavirus-related graffiti found on an Asian-American family’s car in Fresno.
In a Facebook post Monday, Anna Chandy shared photos of her family’s car tagged with racist graffiti that said, “F*** asions … and coronavirus!”
Chandy wrote in the post: “Hate crime and racism towards Asians due to the coronavirus is not okay! I mean any kind of hate crime and racism is not okay! My dad and my family don’t deserve this. No one deserves this!”
In a statement, CAIR-Sacramento Valley/Central California (CAIR-SV/CC) Executive Director Basim Elkarra said:
“We condemn this racist graffiti and urge law enforcement to investigate the incident as a hate crime. We commend Anna for standing up to and speaking out against the racism that has become rampant amid the spread of coronavirus. We must call out and put a stop to bigotry, scapegoating and stigmatization as we confront this epidemic together.”
He added that CAIR’s New York office recently condemned an anti-Asian hate incident perpetrated by a commuter on an N train traveling through Brooklyn.
Elkarra urged community members to report any bias incidents to law enforcement and to CAIR-SV/CC’s Civil Rights Department at 916-441-6269 or by filing a report online.