Vietnamese Siblings In Australia Allegedly Verbally Abused & Had Drink Thrown At Them For Wearing Masks
The world is going through a difficult time as everyone struggles to cope with the many precautionary measures being taken for our safety.
Most people are troubled by not being able to work while in isolation, finding a place to sleep, or their fears of contracting Covid-19.
Unfortunately, hate stemming from prejudice and racism still seem to plague some.
Previously, a Singaporean student was viciously assaulted in London as they targeted him for ‘his coronavirus’.
This time, a pair of Vietnamese siblings in Australia were verbally abused on the train, and even had a drink thrown at them.
They shared their plight and their frustrations in a Facebook post that’s been shared over 5,000 times in just a few hours.
Read on for more details about their harrowing experience.
Verbally abused on train for wearing masks
According to their post, the siblings are international students in Australia. They were taking the train earlier today (19 Mar) when a man verbally assaulted them.
They believe that he did so as they were both wearing facial masks, but primarily because they are Asians.
Apparently, the man told them to “go back to (their) country”.
The post reads,
The guy verbally assaulted us, then threw drink on us, and physically tried to hit me after the argument.
The female victim allegedly defended herself and her brother against the man’s comments, which angered him, spurring him to throw his drink at them.
The man nearly physically assaulted the female victim as well, but she managed to kick and push him away with the help of her brother.
Apparently no one stepped in to help
The female victim shared how she felt “ashamed” due to the “hurtful” event, as her family only agreed to let her brother study in Australia with her after hearing how wonderful it was.
The saddest part is that no one stepped in to help, even though the pair of siblings were clearly being verbally abused and needed assistance.
Still, the victims were understanding of other peoples’ hesitance. They wrote,
I guess people might have wanted to help, but seems like it was not serious enough/ they were not sure what was going on.
Perhaps they were scared, too.
Thankfully, they received assistance after calling for emergency help on the train. The train’s driver apparently only went over to them after their harasser had left the scene, but he helped them contact the police.
She related that the police were “very understanding and took this (seriously)”.
Not their first encounter with racism
In the Facebook post, the female victim shared that this was not her first brush with racism in Australia.
She claimed to have witnessed other Asians be harassed before, and wrote that she always “jumped in and (argued), or at least (talked) back” to the harassers.
Imagine if my brother was not there with me, who else will stop him.
Had her brother not been with her, she could have gotten seriously hurt as the man was apparently much larger than her.
She believes that showing victims solidarity made them feel safer, and discourages the harasser from taking extreme action.
Even though others may find it “extra and dumb” to show your support to someone being mistreated, she strongly advocates it.
“Sometimes you just need to raise your voice”
People are susceptible to showing hate for unjustified reasons, especially during times like now when social tensions are high.
It’s a sad byproduct of stressful situations, and unfortunately, victims have to approach the mistreatment with patience and grace.
We’re immensely lucky to live in a more harmonious, tolerant society like Singapore, so the idea of outright hate may be foreign to you. Nonetheless, if you do notice it, please step in to show your support for the victim.
It’s already scary and dangerous to be harassed; imagine having to go through it alone.
Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate, and neither should we. Instead of baseless hating on groups of people, let’s divert our attention to the vulnerable in society who need our help getting through this uncertain period.
Featured image adapted from Railway Technology.
