In China, Africans are being blamed for coronavirus in a wave of racism that is even more absurd than Donald Trump complaining about ‘the Wuhan virus’.
The trigger was the discovery that 16 Africans were among 114 new cases of Covid-19 in Guangzhou. But nothing was said about the remaining 98 people who tested positive, suggesting that longstanding prejudice against Africans is what this is really about.
In the past few days Africans have been evicted from their homes, barred from hotels, and forced to sleep in the streets.
A video on Twitter from Black Livity China shows that black people were banned from a McDonald’s in Canton:
Again, for those who still doubt that Black people and particularly #AfricansinChina are being targeted we feel it is our duty to share this. A sign at a @McDonalds restaurant seems to make this perfectly clear pic.twitter.com/FaveKrdQHi
— Black Livity China (@BlackLivityCN) April 11, 2020
McDonald’s later apologised and indicated that the fast food outlet is now closed.
But this incident seems to confirm that anti-African racism is now as common in China as burger and fries.
