An ethnic-Korean elderly man was allegedly beaten up in the United States because he is Asian.

Grandfather attacked by people who didn't want the "Chinese virus"

In a now-deleted tweet posted by Twitter user "meadow" on Tuesday, June 9 (Singapore time), the victim's step-granddaughter claimed the incident happened as the elderly man's attacker did not want the "Chinese virus", a term U.S. President Donald Trump used to refer to the Covid-19 virus.

The incident happened in the city of Rialto in the state of California.

She added in her tweet that those who have not been "beaten" due to their skin color do not have a say in the matter, echoing the view that people privileged in society as they belong to the majority racial group do not have the right to comment on or dictate how minorities should feel about the problems of endemic racism.

Her tweet went viral quickly, with many expressing their outrage at the incident.

Grandpa doing okay now

The Twitter user subsequently followed up with an update on her grandfather's situation, saying he is now "doing okay and is home safe".

She added that her family had contacted the police and are trying to find the man who attacked her grandfather.

In another followup tweet, she also questioned the logic of beating someone up and risking infection due to close contact after accosting the victim who is accused of harbouring the virus.

Took down original tweet

After deleting her original tweet, she explained that she had to take it down as she had not meant for it to blow up into an "Asian vs black" issue.

She reiterated that she stands with "Black Lives Matter" -- the campaign calling out systemic racism against black people -- and urged other Twitter users to "stop sending hate to each other".

Shoved from behind

Rialto Police Captain Anthony Vega told NextShark that the victim was "shoved from behind".

After getting knocked onto the ground, he looked up and saw an African American man running away, he said.

Vega added that the elderly man never got onto a bus.

Trump: "China plague"

Trump has referred to the Covid-19 pandemic as the "China plague" on Friday, June 5, while talking about how a strong economy is the "greatest thing that can happen for race relations", NBC News reported.

He said the country had "tremendous" numbers for jobs that were taken up before the "China plague that floated in".

The excellent numbers, which he said were the "best in history", were for "African American, for Hispanic American, for Asian American, and for everybody".

Trump had previously justified the use of the term "Chinese virus" to refer to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying he simply wanted to explain that the virus originated in China, following the groundless assertion from a Chinese diplomat that the virus had come from the U.S. instead.

But critics have slammed him for the insensitive term, saying the phrase inspires even more racism against Asian Americans.

Trump later dropped the term, a sign that analysts took to indicate his intention to deescalate tensions with China.

Background

Trump is currently facing various domestic challenges.

In addition to the pandemic and its impact on the economy, nationwide protests had broken out over the death of an unarmed African American man George Floyd.

The anger over police brutality and systemic racism in the country has resulted in some changes, such as the city of Minneapolis pledging to disband its police force.

Trump's response to the calls for justice for many African American people said to be murdered by the police was thought to have failed to match up to people's expectations, especially as the country's top leader.

Critics said Trump is also using China as a tactic to divert attention away from his blunders and ineffective management of the multiple crises happening at home.

Top image via Twitter