From left: Charles Liu, board member of United for a Better Community (UBC); Peter Kuo, State Senator candidate; Xinxin Pan, Cupertino School District board member candidate; Barry Chang, Cupertino city council member; and Chris Zhang, Cupertino School District board member candidate,express their anger towards Bob Beckel’s racist comment about Chinese people in Hong Fu restaurant in Cupertino, California on Monday. [Lian Zi / China Daily]
The Chinese community in the United States are demanding Fox News fire host Bob Beckel and are asking for an apology after Beckel’s discriminatory comment about Chinese people aired on July 4.
On Monday, a group of representatives of Chinese-American organizations, including United for a Better Community (UBC), United Asian Americans for Activism and Chinese United, held a press conferences in Cupertino, CA, announcing that they would take action to stop the broadcast of such racist and xenophobic comments.
“Beckel ignored, deprecated and denied Chinese Americans’ contribution to American society,” said one committee member of UBC. “It is totally unfair.”
During his program The Five, Beckel, discussing a report on Chinese hacking into government records, said: “The Chinese are the single biggest threat to the national security of the US. They have been, they will be and they can wait, they’re very patient. Do you know what we just did? As usual, we bring them over here and teach a bunch of Chinamen, uh, Chinese people, how to do computers, and then they go back to China and hack us.”
California State Senator Ted Lieu, who represents Santa Monica and much of the South Bay, called on Beckel to resign immediately.
“We should all be alarmed by the racist, xenophobic comments by Fox News host Bob Beckel,” Lieu said. “His comments have no place in America and this is at least the second time he has used racial slurs. He must resign immediately.”
“It is Mr Beckel’s extreme racist and xenophobic views that are a threat to the American people and he should resign now,” Lieu said.
Cupertino councilman Barry Chang told China Daily: “Fox should officially apologize to all Chinese Americans. We call on Beckel to resign.”
This is not the first time that a US TV host has made offensive comments about the Chinese. In October, ABC host Jimmy Kimmel apologized for airing a clip of a child who suggested that “killing everyone in China” could be a solution to the US debt problem.
“Chinese Americans play a pivotal role in the development of US advanced technology, making up half of Silicon Valley’s scientists and engineers. They were deeply hurt by Beckel’s words,” said Albert Wang, Bay Area chairman of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association. He asked Fox to fire Beckel immediately.
Shi Yinghong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said Beckel’s speech was unacceptable to all Chinese. Shi expressed his support for the Chinese communities’ call for Beckel’s resignation and apology, saying Fox News has the responsibility to urge Beckel to apologize and handle the aftermath.
“As a mainstream social media, Fox should respect everyone who lives in the US,” said Andi Li, a member of the advisory committee of San Ramon. “We Chinese Americans should get involved in politics to make sure our rights are better protected.”
Ted Lieu, who is running for a seat in the US House of Representatives this year and, if elected, would be the third Chinese Congressman in US history, issued a statement which in part read: “I am one of those ‘Chinamen’ that immigrated to America and majored in computer science. I also served on active duty in the US Air Force and continue to serve my country in the Reserves. And today, as an American and as a California state senator, I call on Mr. Beckel to resign… He must resign immediately.”
By LIAN ZI in san Francisco and Zhang Yi in Beijing (China Daily)
Original Post Link: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2014-07/15/content_17773445.htm
