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HEALTH-VIRUS-CHINA
China province launches anti-racism push after outrage
BEIJING, May 4, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – China’s southern Guangdong province has
launched a raft of anti-discrimination policies targeting businesses and
venues after a heavy-handed crackdown on the African community sparked
international outrage last month.
Authorities in the provincial capital Guangzhou had started mass testing
its African community shortly after a cluster of COVID-19 cases was found in
a neighbourhood with a large migrant population, and a wave of reports about
discrimination and xenophobia followed.
The new anti-racism rules, announced on the weekend, came after many
Africans in Guangzhou said they had been forcibly evicted by police from
their accommodation, refused service at shops and restaurants, and were
subject to mass coronavirus testing and arbitrary quarantines.
Now, businesses and residential compounds “must implement non-
discriminatory service… treat all Chinese and foreigners in Guangdong
equally, and firmly oppose any racist or discriminatory speech and
behaviour,” according to a Sunday report by the state-run China News Service.
The new policies appeared to address some of the concerns raised by the
African community, banning public spaces from setting tighter entry
requirements for certain nationalities and promising to punish buses and
taxis who refuse foreign passengers.
They also ban landlords from cancelling housing contracts or increasing
rent without explanation. However, the measures do not outline any specific
punishments.
A total of 111 African nationals in Guangzhou have tested positive for
COVID-19, including 19 imported cases, officials announced on April 11. The
vast majority of imported cases in Guangdong province involved returning
Chinese nationals.
McDonald’s China was among the businesses who came under fire. It
apologised after a branch in Guangzhou displayed a sign banning black people
from entry, prompting online outrage.
Thiam, a 25-year-old exchange student from Guinea, told AFP that he
suffered discrimination in Guangzhou even after completing a 14-day home
quarantine and producing a clean bill of health.
“Even when you go out and take the bus or metro, people start running away
from you,” he said.
He added that when he tries booking a ride with the Didi app, “the driver
will ask me if I’m black and then refuse to take me, saying black people are
dangerous. It’s crazy!”
BSS/AFP/MRU/1823hrs