The new coronavirus that started spreading last year, is not the only one. When the world first got wind of this virus, hate crimes towards Chinese (and Asian people in general) started increasing. People are scared of something you cannot touch or see with the naked eye, thus they seek other (very wrong) ways to express their frustrations.

By now, we are all used to the concept of a “lockdown”, however it does not get any easier. Many people are stuck at home with nothing else to do. They start harbouring all these negative feelings and seek out ways to relief themselves: who else to blame than the entire continent where the virus originated from?

Chinatown Antwerp

To find out if the Belgian Chinese community experienced an increase in xenophobic behaviour this past year, we need to go to the centre of this community: Chinatown Antwerp. This, to better understand the way this community lives and thinks.

If you want to learn more about how the Belgian Chinese community handled anti-Asian racism, or if you want to learn more about Chinatown Antwerp, listen to the podcast down below:

This podcast was created as part of Lene Hosten’s bachelor’s thesis

Coverage and pictures: © Lene Hosten
Archive material: BBC, VRT/ Thuis