In the wake of this novel coronavirus outbreak, there has been a rise of discrimination against people of Chinese and Asian backgrounds in the world. Let's join together and say NO to racism and prejudice, for they are not only against basic human decency but also counterproductive to our disease control measures.

 

One of the most recent yet severe cases of discrimination happened in the Netherlands. On February 6, 2020, Dutch Radio 10 deliberately broadcasted a song titled "Voorkomen is beter dan Chinezen’ (Prevention is better than Chinese)." It contains extremely discriminatory statements against the Chinese people and culture. This song not only regarded all Chinese people as "virus" but also called for “euthanasia” of all those infected as well as a complete boycott of Chinese food. This occurred despite the recent adoption of motion 25295 nr 84, by the Dutch Ellemeet government, which explicitly declared racist and discriminatory statements about the coronavirus against Chinese people inadmissible. 

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Therefore, Radio 10 is not only blatantly discriminating against an entire minority group but also violating a recent governmental motion.

 

Why do people, such as those on Radio, dare to compare a serious virus to all Chinese food and people? This affects not only every Chinese but also all people of the world. Illness can happen to any person: today the virus most severely affects Asians and tomorrow it could be anyone in the world. 

There is also the notion that statements like Radio 10’s are “just jokes.” To these people, we would ask you, would you also laugh at a song about cancer patients? 

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Enough is enough. 

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The East Coast Coalition for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination is deeply concerned about the rise of anti-Asian racism in the wake of this coronavirus outbreak. The Coalition is assisting Asian residents in Amsterdam to voice our deepest concerns to the government of the Netherland. Upon the collection of 40,000 signatures, our petition can be sent to the lower house of the Dutch Parliament. 

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We ask the media to take responsibility and do proper reporting. We ask them to be aware of their role in image determination, stereotyping and prejudices that prevail over us. Therefore we also ask the media to talk to Chinese and Asian minorities about their role and the consequences of their actions. Be aware of the current era that we are currently in, be aware of the negative impact you could bring to people’s lives, stand above them. 

 

We ask politicians to take action to make a plan together with Chinese minorities on how we can break through these stereotypes and make a stand against racism and discrimination. We want to talk to you. How can we make programs that contribute and that the world gets to know us better? In the era of inclusion, Chinese and all other people deserve to be part of society equally. 

We ask Radio 10 to sincerely apologize to all Chinese people who have been hurt by the song and also to those affected by this virus. And we ask, logically not to play this song anymore, to make sure that such incidents NEVER happen again. We understand that there are many respectful and moral people in Dutch society and government and we thank them for their support.

 

Let us work together towards a more conscious, connecting, and inclusive society. Get to know minorities, such as Chinese people, and see that we are just like you, we are equal citizens of this world as well.

 

Dutch Local Residents: Vincent Yeers 

ECC President: Bincheng Mao

 

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