Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition dedicated to combating racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, has called out the recent racist and bigoted attacks on Indian American Usha Vance and Sikh American Harmeet Dhillon, who took the stage during the Republican convention in Milwaukee.
“We firmly condemn the racist and bigoted attacks against Indian American Usha Vance and Sikh American Harmeet Dhillon, who were cruelly vilified by conservative commentators and far-right extremists as they appeared at the GOP convention this week,” Stop AAPI Hate said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
Dhillon was subjected to a deluge of cruel remarks made on the internet after she recited the Ardas, a traditional Sikh prayer, at the convention. Conservative pundits and far-right radicals slammed her, calling her "demonic" and "evil." Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance's wife, Usha Vance, was also the target of racist comments because of her Indian heritage.
Stop AAPI hate emphasized the dangerous implications of such rhetoric, highlighting how it perpetuates intolerance and threatens the safety of diverse communities. "All this vile racism, xenophobia, and bigotry against South Asians, Sikhs, and immigrants amid the RNC illustrates the severity of intolerance threatening the safety of so many communities today," the statement read.
The coalition also pointed to the alarming anti-immigrant rhetoric from figures like former ICE director Thomas Homan, who used his platform to promote fear and dehumanization. "We need to hold leaders and others with platforms accountable for harmful political rhetoric," the coalition said.
The statement urged Republican leaders and RNC 2024 organizers to condemn the racist attacks and defend the values of equality and freedom for everyone, irrespective of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. "All of us deserve to feel safe while living freely and participating in our democracy," the coalition asserted.
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