Anna Justen – The Concordian

One of the protest’s organizers tells us how we can show continued support

Calls to “Stop Asian hate!” echoed through the streets of Montreal on Sunday, when thousands marched to protest anti-Asian hate crimes and to show their support for the Asian community in Quebec and abroad. The protesters marched from Cabot Square to Chinatown, shouting call and response chants.

Store owners along Saint-Catherine Street stood outside their businesses taking photos and cheering on the protestors as they made their way towards Chinatown. The protest ended with a vigil for the six Asian women murdered in Atlanta last week.

Violence towards the Asian community has increased rapidly since the beginning of the pandemic. British Columbia Premier John Horgan recently announced that the Vancouver Police Department has reported a 717 per cent increase in hate crimes against Asian-Canadians since the outbreak of the pandemic.

One of the protest’s organizers, a member of Progressive Chinese of Quebec (PCQ) and Groupe d’entraide contre le racisme envers les Asiatiques du Québec (GECREAQ) spoke to The Concordian about the backwards sentiment behind these attacks. The individual wishes to keep their identity private.

“We are being scapegoated for a virus that’s a consequence of climate change, which is a consequence of our capitalist world.” They said that on top of struggling to adjust to life during COVID-19, “We are also feeling anxious to go into work or walk down the street, because getting attacked in broad daylight is becoming more common.”

“Even while we are born here, raise our families here, pay taxes and work here, we are not considered Canadian. We are subjugated to being seen as a ‘forever foreigner.’ When Canadians tell us to go back to where we came from, as if that same sentiment doesn’t apply to them, it’s to remind us that we do not belong here,” said the representative.

Chao Hua, a third-year international student at Concordia, found out about the protest “last minute,” but knew he needed to show his support. Speaking from the heat of the downtown protest, he argued that “You cannot just put your hatred on Asians, on us. We are not your scapegoat.” He pointed to his sign, which read those same words.

“Killing Asians, beating up the Asians, it’s not going to stop the virus. Everybody must work together. If all races, all ethnicities, all countries work together, we can beat up this virus. That’s the only way out.”

Onnie, another protestor, said that she feels sickened, not only by the violence directed towards the Asian community, but also by major media’s willingness to ignore the pervasiveness of the issue.

On the recent hate crimes, she said “They’re willing to put in the effort and energy to go into the fucking profile of a murderer, but not the grand profile of how this reflects on everyone else and our complicitness with the situation.”

Protestors laid flowers to honour those killed in the Atlanta shooting.

As the PCQ and GECREAQ representative stated, “It’s no secret that anti-racist work requires a lifetime

commitment.” To show support in the short term, they said to “Contact your representatives about denouncing the racist laws in this province, for instance loi 21; to continue standing with [the BIPOC community] against their racist relative(s); to ensure that the spaces, especially work spaces, are safe for their BIPOC friends and coworkers, especially women and gender minorities.”

However, in order to see real, actualized change, the PCQ and GECREAQ representative says we must recognize the root of the issue: colonialism, imperialism and capitalism.

“In the long term above all, keep learning about how prevalent racism is in our everyday lives and how it operates as such a fundamental gear in this capitalist machine we are all in.”

To the Asian community in Montreal and abroad, they give an important message.

“While we mourn for those who’ve lost their lives and who’ve been physically assaulted, it’s a great time to remind ourselves that we can’t feel disenfranchised. We have every right to exist. We have every right to be here. We are allowed to take up space and stand together against the colonial enemy.”

Photos by Christine Beaudoin

See how Concordia’s first-years are feeling about meeting their peers virtually at this year’s online frosh.

Concordia first-year students from all over the world came together virtually for a COVID-safe spin on frosh. ASFA has been working tirelessly to find ways for new students to make friends in concordance with social distancing measures. From Sept. 2–5, iFrosh featured workshops and games that allowed students to get to know each other in a casual social setting.

According to iFrosh coordinator Victoria Videira, the week included a scavenger hunt, a game of Clue, and events hosted by professional actors.

“We have a lot of workshops this year, which is kind of different from traditional frosh. We’re having more of an academic and social justice perspective on frosh,” said Videira.

While some students jumped on the opportunity to give virtual frosh a try, many students were understandably skeptical. iFrosh did not see the same registration numbers as traditional froshes have in the past.

Videira says she expected these reduced numbers.

“We’re at about … two-thirds of what we had last year. It’s still pretty good, but you obviously see that some people are just not interested in doing a virtual frosh, and you know, that’s their point of view.”

“I would have gone were it in-person and there was the opportunity to have real interaction as opposed to having the facade of interaction through a screen,” said Creative Writing and Journalism first-year Victor Vigas. He adds that although this is not the ideal situation, “that’s how the world is right now and I’m not upset about it.”

Ximena Turmel, another first-year at Concordia who chose not to attend frosh, agrees that she only would have chosen to attend if the events were in-person.

“I wasn’t interested in iFrosh because I didn’t really think I would easily meet people online that way since … talking on Zoom … gives me anxiety and I feel like it’s just less authentic than meeting people in person.”

Videira says she expected these sorts of opinions.

“We’ve tried to have more of an educational frosh this year, mixed with obviously the fun aspects of it, but I think … even though we’ve really emphasized that we’ve tried to find ways to bring people together, some people just might not see it.”

Others were excited to see how the week would play out. First-year Annabel Durr said she had tickets to the event and hoped it would go well. She expected the event to be awkward at first, but to get better as the days go on.

First-year History major Scarlet Guy also planned on attending frosh. She said she was excited for the coming events. She feels that what you take from the experience will all be about your outlook.

“If I come to frosh with a positive attitude, ready to make friends, and open to anything, then I think I’ll have a good time. I’ve seen a lot of negativity about ‘oh, you’re just gonna be sitting in your room drinking, like not doing anything,’ but I don’t know, if you have positivity about it and you put all of yourself into it then you’re gonna get quite a lot out of it, I think.”

At the end of the day, Videira and her coworkers at ASFA have worked hard to make the best out of an unfortunate situation.

“Frosh is still going to be the way that you meet people and make friends,” Videira said, adding that “whether you’re meeting in person or meeting through a screen, you’re still interacting and making friends.”

Graphic by Taylor Reddam