Violence and anti-Asian discrimination have intensified in the United States since the start of the pandemic last year. Cases of assault and hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have skyrocketed, including the brutal Atlanta spa shooting that happened earlier this week, which has sent ripples of fear among the Asian community.
Many Asian celebrities have voiced their condemnation of the violence, including the boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who tweeted “FIGHT ME INSTEAD” against the backdrop of Asians who were attacked, along with the hashtag #StopAsianHate.
We have one color in our Blood! Stop discriminating. LOVE AND PEACE TO EVERYONE!! #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/RuLtXraCQQ
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) April 1, 2021
In his tweet, Pacquiao posted four pictures in four different languages that told attackers to direct their violence towards him and not innocent bystanders who couldn’t defend themselves.
Along with the pictures, he also wrote, “We have one colour in our Blood! Stop discriminating. LOVE AND PEACE TO EVERYONE!!”
Pacquiao is the only boxer in the world to have won twelve major world titles in eight different weight divisions, and he is also the only one to hold the world championship across four decades.
From the age of 16, Pacquiao has accumulated 58 wins and 38 KOs under his belt. Dubbed as the “national treasure of the Philippines”, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest boxers.
Sources: Twitter/MannyPacquiao
Editor: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
