More than a thousand people have turned out for a rally in central Auckland calling for discrimination against Asians to stop.

They claim Asians have been the target of derogatory comments since covid-19 broke out.

They say Asian communities in New Zealand and around the world have suffered discrimination for too long.

• LISTEN TO RNZ AFTERNOONS: March against Asian hate crime in NZ – (Duration 12’35”)

Organiser Steph Tan is calling on the government to do more to prevent hate crime, especially toward Asian communities.

During an interview with RNZ Afternoons this week, she said the march yesterday was a chance to express solidarity with Asian-Americans as they grieved over the loss of six Asian women among the eight people killed by a gunman in Atlanta.

She said that during 2020 hate crimes committed towards Asian-Americans had risen by 1900 percent during the covid-19 pandemic as they were blamed for the origin of the virus.

It has been a deeply troubling time for the Asian community in New Zealand as well, she said.

“Sadly in parallel we are seeing some of that in New Zealand … this peaceful march or rally is to create awareness of the pain that Asians are feeling when we see one of our people killed purely motivated by racial concerns or just based on our skin colour.”

She said violent incidents against Asian people in this country included the beatings of some Asian people at a spa in Rotorua last year.

Chinese people, in particular, had also been made the scapegoats for the country’s housing crisis, she said.

“Love our culture, love our people!”

Protesters marching in Auckland in support of the #StopAsianHate movement @rnz_news pic.twitter.com/zf34rmjCoX

— Kate Gregan (@KateGregan) March 27, 2021

Tan said that while the Black Lives Matter movement was supporting Asian protests in the US, she was not seeing the same links between ethnic minorities here.

She is appealing to people to reach out to their Asian friends and ask if they are okay.

“Asian hate does truly exist – it just hasn’t been brought to light as much and a huge part of the rally is doing that in a compassionate way…”

Both in the US and New Zealand a higher number of businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, she said.

The aim of the rally was to support each other, encourage people to stand up for Asians when they are racially abused and it might also act as an encouragement if people felt they need mental health support.

She is calling on politicians to introduce harsher sentences for hate crimes against people of all races.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Pacific Media Centre’s Del Abcede was on the ground for last Sunday’s “love not hate” rally  with about 2000 people marching down Auckland’s Queen Street in solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Christchurch mosque terrorist attack earlier this month.

Scores of children were among the marchers with placards declaring “Stand up to Islamophobia”, “Peace, love”, “Denying racism is racism”, “Dismantle white supremacy” and “Migrants are welcome, fascists are not”.

Fifty worshippers were killed by a lone gunman in an attack on two mosques in Christchurch on March 15. New Zealand has now banned assault and semi-automatic weapons.

• Other Christchurch mosque terror stories

Love Aotearoa Hate Racism

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Thousands flocked to the “Love Aotearoa Hate Racism” rally at Aotea Square in central Auckland today in solidarity with the Muslim community in the wake of the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch just over a week ago.

The colourful and vibrant rally vowed to “maintain unity” and spokespeople said this was another example of the “real New Zealand”, a land of compassion and love.

One speaker described the “nameless” terrorist, a white Australian who killed 50 Muslim worshippers at Friday prayers on March 15 and will appear in the High Court on April 5, as a “cockroach” who had failed to divide New Zealanders.

Speakers included Ibrar Sheikh, secretary of the Federation of Islamic Associations of NZ, Ian Rintoul from Refugee Action Coalition Sydney, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, Mike Treen from Global Peace and Justice Aotearoa, and Māori activist Joe Trinder, co-founder of the organisers, Love Aotearoa Hate Racism (LAHR).

A speaker at the Aotea solidarity rally in Auckland today. Video: Cafe Pacific

“LAHR believes that, while the shooting at the mosques was the deed of one gunman, the attack is the tragic consequence of Aotearoa’s failure to address racism within its midst,” said Joe Carolan, co-founder of LAHR.

“In contrast to the picture of ‘a peaceful, harmonious, tolerant’ society painted over the past week, Aotearoa for too long has seen the scapegoating of migrants and refugees, with mainstream politicians blaming immigration for our housing and economic crisis.

“This has given confidence to fascist elements here and overseas, culminating in last week’s tragic and harrowing outcome.”

LAHR is a coalition of unions, community, and migrant groups, which was formed last July in response to attempts by the far right to peddle Islamophobic, anti-migrant, anti-refugee politics in New Zealand.