FBI, US Attorney condemn acts of violence against Asian Americans

A week after a shooting incident at three Asian spas in Atlanta, senior FBI officials and a federal US attorney condemned acts of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

A week after a shooting incident at three Asian spas in Atlanta, senior Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials and a federal US attorney on Monday condemned acts of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country.

This comes after a gunman last week shot eight people dead at massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia. A majority of people who were killed were Asian, however, FBI Director Chris Wray had said it did not appear that the crime was racially motivated.

"The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the FBI condemn all acts of violence, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the nation and in our communities," a release from the US Department of Justice said.

Acting US Attorney Raj Parekh in the statement said hate crimes and discrimination against anyone, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, are reprehensible acts.

"Hate crimes and discrimination against anyone, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, are reprehensible acts that are contrary to the ideals of our Nation and have no place in our society," said Parekh.

"We will not stand still amid the horrific reports of racist and xenophobic acts of violence targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals and communities nationwide," he added.

FBI's Washington Field Office Assistant Director Steven D'Antuono, said such hate crimes can have a devastating impact and bring fear to entire communities in the US.

The statement specified that the condemnation comes from Parekh, D'Antuono and FBI agents in charge of two field offices in Virginia.

The incidence of hate crimes against Asian Americans rose by 149 per cent in 2020 in 16 major cities compared with 2019, even as the overall hate crime dropped 6 per cent, according to the Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism.