Karen Fukuhara is a Japanese American actress known for her role in “Suicide Squad” as Tatsu Yamashiro and in “The Boys” series as Kimiko Miyashiro. Her other movies include voicing characters in “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts,” “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” and “Craig of the Creek.”
The actress opened up recently about her experience with Anti-Asian hate first-hand and how acts like that “need to stop.” Several crimes based on Anti-Asian hate have occurred to several Asians living in America in just the past month.
According to Fukuhara, on her way to a café to get coffee, she was unexpectedly struck by an unidentified assailant for no other reason than that she was Asian. He left not long after yelling choice words to the 35-year-old, but she was obviously still shaken by the experience.
Karen Fukuhara Said She Was A Victim Of Anti-Asian Hate Crime
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“The Boys” actress Fukuhara revealed that she was recently struck by an unknown man in what can only be described as an anti-Asian hate crime. The actress mentioned that the incident took place just outside a café she was going to coffee.
Fukuhara described the incident in an Instagram post, adding that the attack “came out of nowhere,” and things like that needed to stop. She said, “It came out of nowhere. We made no eye contact before. I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.”
The 30-year-old revealed that the attack came so suddenly that had hat flew off, and she couldn’t get a good look at his face. “It came to my surprise, and my hat flew off. By the time I looked back, he was a few feet away from me (he must have kept walking after hitting me).”
Karen Fukuhara Said This Was Her First Physical Attack
While detailing the incident, the “Suicide Squad” actress revealed that she initially thought of confronting the attacker but changed her mind when he started advancing towards her. According to her, the ensuing seconds involved a lot of staring from both parts. The man then started yelling at her before walking away.
In her post, Fukuhara called on US female citizens, Asians, and the elderly for their help in battling Anti-Asian hate. She said, “This is the first time I’ve been hurt physically, although racial slurs and hurtful actions have been directed to me in the past.”
Fukuhara Got ‘Lucky’ With Her Attack
Considering the number of women who die or are severely hospitalized due to race-based crimes, the actress was definitely lucky. And she knows that. In the Instagram post, Fukuhara revealed that she thought she got lucky after the entire thing.
The 35-year-old said, “Ultimately, I know I got lucky. He could have come back to hit me again. He could have carried a weapon. The shock of this experience has me thinking about taking self-defense classes. But why is this something we as ‘victims’ have to think about.”
Fukuhara then mentioned her ire at what satisfaction the people behind the hate crimes actually get from their actions. “What satisfaction are these perpetrators getting from hitting women, Asians, the ELDERLY? They need to be held accountable. What can we do as a community to prevent these horrible crimes?” The actress didn’t mention if she would file a police report concerning the matter.
Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Have Increased In The Past Year
There were numerous reports concerning Anti-Asian related hate crimes in the past year. Crimes of that nature have reportedly increased over 300 percent since last year. To combat the rising problem, Congress recently passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes act into law.
Besides Fukuhara, other Asian targeted attacks include an assault a few days ago which involved a New York man and an Asian woman. The New Yorker apparently punched the lady around 125 times and was charged with attempted murder.
Another instance was when, last month, an Asian American dancer was attacked on her way to her first performance celebration at New York’s Public Theater. The theater officials described the act as just one of the recent “disgusting and heartbreaking” hate crimes against Asians.
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