Biden, saying 'silence is complicity,' signs COVID hate crimes bill into law

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act that passed Congress in a rare show of bipartisanship following a spate of high-profile attacks on Asian Americans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Silence is complicity and we cannot be complicit. We have to speak out. We have to act. That’s what you’ve done. And I can’t thank you enough,” Biden said. “I’m proud today.”

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono and Democratic Representative Grace Meng, designates a Justice Department employee to expedite a review of hate crimes reported to police during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It would also provide guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies to report hate crimes, expand public education campaigns and issue guidance to combat discriminatory language in describing the pandemic.

Reports of violence against Asian Americans have spiked since the beginning of the pandemic. Activists and police said anti-Asian sentiment was fed by comments from former President Donald Trump blaming the pandemic on China, using terms such as “kung flu.”

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