Hundreds of people gathered in Lower Manhattan on Saturday to protest increasing violence against Asian Americans.
The protest in Foley Square was close to the attack on Thursday on a 36-year-old Asian man who was stabbed in the stomach. Police have arrested Salman Muflihi, 23, who was charged with, among other things, attempted murder as a hate crime and assault as a hate crime.
‘We will not accept hatred in New York City! Stop Asian hatred. This is the message we need to get, not just in New York, but across the country as well. Stop Asian hatred, stop it now, ”Mayor de Blasio told the crowd.
Rep. Grace Meng, a Queens Democrat of Taiwanese descent, said: “Too many people are currently living in fear.”
“People are literally afraid to leave their homes,” Meng said. “We’ve learned our whole lives to just fit in. Just be quiet, do not talk, be invisible. If you are invisible enough, you will be seen as an American. But we are here to say that we will no longer be invisible! We’ll talk! … We are also Americans. ‘
Attorney General Letitia James urged victims to report attacks.
‘Come to my office so we can do something about it. “Come to my office so that we can go after these individuals who hate us and close them down,” James said.
State Senator John Liu, a Taiwanese-born Democrat from Taiwan, said: ‘If you attack any of us, we will all stand up and fight back. … We’re going to be hard and proud. ”
Prosecutors on Saturday dropped charges of hate crime against Muflihi during his trial in Manhattan Criminal Court. He is now facing charges of attempted murder and attempted assault in the case.
