San Antonio City Council unanimously passes resolution denouncing COVID-19 hate speech

By: (News 4 San Antonio) Posted On:
Share
San Antonio resolution passes unanimously making the words "chinese virus" and "kung fu virus" hate speech

SAN ANTONIO — City Council unanimously passed a resolution that denounces the use of terms like 'Chinese virus' and 'Kung Fu Virus' as San Antonio continues to fight against the spread of COVID-19.

The resolution condemns any hate speech, violent action and the "spread of misinformation related to COVID-19."

In a letter to council members, Mayor Ron Nirenberg says the city must take a stand against COVID-19 hate speech.

"This coronavirus has held no regard for race, religion, creed, or political boundary. As such, our efforts must meet the indiscriminate nature of COVID-19 with empathy and compassion for all our neighbors," writes Nirenberg. "I ask that you consider adopting the attached resolution - which declares that our COVID-19 response efforts will be free of hate and discrimination - at the next Council A-Session."

Nirenberg's letter adds that terms like 'Chinese virus' and 'Kung Fu Virus' only encourage hate crimes and incidents against Asian communities; and that the Jewish community has also been targeted with blame and conspiracy theories regarding coronavirus.

All council members voted in favor of the resolution, 11 to 0.

You can read the proposed resolution here.