Getting involved: changing perceptions of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong
Written by Markandeya Karthik
Social Worker Jeffery Andrews, Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Racial discrimination emerges during extradition bill protests
Hong Kong, Asia’s world city, claims to be a symbol of diversity, and Hong Kong’s past and present support this claim. The Star Ferry, for example, an icon of Hong Kong, was created by a Parsi, followers of the Iranian Zoroastrian faith who immigrated to India during the Muslim conquest of Persia during 636-651 AD - Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala. During the Boxer Rebellion in the 1900s, Hong Kong was safeguarded by gurkhas, elite Nepalese soldiers hired by the British army, and World War 2 saw close to 1,000 Indian soldiers laying down their lives as they protected Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion.
But now, as the anti-extradition protests in Hong Kong spill into their 24th week, a level of discrimination that the metropolis has never seen has been brought to light.
On the 30th of July, Nepalese individuals were attacked by local residents in Yuen Long, out of an apparent suspicion that they were attacking civilians participating in the Hong Kong extradition bill protests, even though there was no evidence to prove this. Individuals from ethnic minority groups also claim to have received text messages from demonstrators asking them to check grammar on foreign text. Many of the texts were appeals asking ethnic minorities not to “accept bribes” to “beat up” protesters. During protests on the 21st of October, the Tsim Sha Tsui mosque was sprayed with blue paint from a police water cannon. The most glaring example of the discrimination that has emerged during the protests, however, would be when MTR chief Jacob Kam reportedly stated that he was planning to use gurkhas to protect the transit system, since “they did not understand the language and were less likely to comprehend insults, allowing them to perform their job better.''
64% of all ethnic minority individuals in Hong Kong were born here, according to an HKU study. 84% of these ethnic minority individuals are “happy in Hong Kong”, and are proud to call themselves Hong Konger. However, it’s clear that the current political climate in Hong Kong is somewhat fuelling the ostracization of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.
Having immigrated to Hong Kong from Bangalore, India in 2004, I’m part of the Hong Kong ethnic minority community too. And, to say the least, I’m worried - because if discrimination against minority groups isn’t capped and subdued now, then there’s a big chance that it may spiral out of hand. To an extent, it already has.
So, what do we do about it?
I sat down with the first ethnic minority social worker in Hong Kong, Jeffery Andrews, who works with Christian Action - an NGO that shelters migrants in Hong Kong, to discuss how to address the issue.
Andrews was familiar with the discrimination. In fact, he was a victim of it himself. “After the incident with the Nepalese community in Yuen Long, people in Chungking Mansion began receiving threats that there would be attacks.''
Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui is a melting pot of diversity. Its main inhabitants are individuals of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African descent.
“There’s a negative aura that surrounds the place, but it bursts with culture and that’s disregarded,” Andrews said in a lecture at the Hong Kong History Museum. “When we received the threats, we decided to become peace ambassadors; on the day the riots were supposed to happen, we distributed water bottles for free, showing that we didn’t mean any harm,'' said Andrews.
Aside from being a peace ambassador, Andrews also assisted in the organization of a Chung King Mansions cultural tour. “It was a fantastic way to get the community to see the other side of this infamous place, and it was a huge success”. Andrews wasn’t kidding about the success of the event, which saw a large turnout of over 1300 people. “After it, people left with a better understanding about the culture that’s booming in the mansions”.
Andrews says that ethnic minorities need to get involved more in such events during this tense political climate. “We cannot afford to react maliciously,” says Andrews. “Doing so will exacerbate the already conflicted views that the local populace have of ethnic minorities. What we need to do is step up and change this perception”.
“Responding and reacting in a positive way is the best thing to do in such a tense situation,” Andrews says. “We’ve rarely been a part of it before. And now’s the time to get involved”.