The Anti-Defamation League strongly condemned President Trump’s dramatic use of “Chinese flu” to describe coronavirus, calling the term divisive and bigoted.
“Using this term furthers discrimination, scapegoating and xenophobia,” said Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL. “Rhetoric can take on a life of its own and using non-scientific terms only sows confusion.”
Greenblatt spoke out after Trump pointedly changed the term he uses to describe the virus Wednesday in an apparent effort to brand the global pandemic as a foreign problem that he has sought to block with travel bans even as it spreads throughout the U.S.
“Words matter,” Greenblatt said. “Any time public officials intentionally seek to alienate or marginalize any community is very dangerous.”
The ADL says that Asian-Americans are already suffering widespread discrimination due to the virus. Coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China, but scientists do not know where it actually originated.
“Calling it ‘Chinese virus’ or ‘Kung flu’ goes against all the advice of scientists who say we should use its scientific name,” Greenblatt said.