Proclaiming that Connecticut will not harbor racism, a crowd of 150 chanted “Hate is a virus - protect Asian lives” at a rally Saturday afternoon at Bushnell Park in Hartford.
Associate State Attorney General Vanessa Avery called on Connecticut to reject bigotry against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Mayor Luke Bronin declared that the city won’t tolerate any form of racism.
“Attacks on Asian-Americans are attacks on Americans, period. There is no such thing as ‘looking like an American,’ " Bronin said. “We all need to stand together as Americans.”
Saturday’s rally follows similar gatherings in Fairfield, West Hartford and elsewhere in the wake of the March mass shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian woman.