SHS student inspires Westmount to denounce racism against Asians

On March 21, Selwyn House Grade 7 student Tony (Qixuan) Ma wrote to the City of Westmount about his concern for the safety of his fellow Asian Canadians.

 

“I need your help to denounce anti-Asian racism in our Westmount community,” Tony wrote.

 

“Due to the recent discrimination against East Asians and rumours about [incidents in] the Western countries, some Chinese students who live in Westmount are afraid of going out for a walk. Many people say that they had the experience of being called ‘virus’ on the streets.

 

“I’ll tell my friends that Westmount is still the safest place in Montreal. Can you please do me a favour and launch a campaign to advocate mutual respect among residents in our Westmount community? Thank you very much for your help.”

 

The City responded by posting the following notice to their website and social media:

 

 

The City of Westmount condemns the rise of anti-Asian sentiment and racist attacks in North America and wishes to express its collective and unanimous horror at the mass shooting in Atlanta.

 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a disturbing rise in anti-Asian behaviour and violence against people of Asian descent, which is unacceptable and deplorable. Council and I fully condemn these actions. We pride ourselves in having a community that thrives on its diversity and its promotion of respect and collaboration. The Asian communities are dealing with bullying, harassment and fear. Collectively and individually, we can act and speak out to end this racist behaviour.