Activists urge tough sentence for man convicted in assault against Asian fishermen - Part I

Asian Canadian activists called on Wednesday for a tough sentencing against a Georgina, Ont., man convicted in a racially motivated incident against Asian fishermen.

Trevor Middleton, 23, was found guilty of four counts of aggravated assault and two charges of criminal negligence after an attack on Asian fishermen escalated to a high-speed chase that ended with two people seriously injured.

“What Mr. Middleton and his friends consider as a prank was in fact an outright racist act with an equally racist label, namely, nippertipping,” said Avvy Go, director of the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic. The term is racist slang for pushing Asian Canadian anglers into the water.

“It is a practice that has been going on for a number of years, affecting countless number of Asian Canadian fishermen who are subject to similar attacks for no reason other than their race.”

Ms. Go called for Mr. Middleton’s sentence to reflect the “racist motivation” behind the crime. “We are calling on the court to treat the crime in question as a hate crime.”

The activists are also planning a community meeting on Jan. 9 to hear how this case has affected the Asian Canadian community at large. The group plans to collect their stories and present them to the Crown in a community impact statement.

“Whether or not you are an avid fisherman, I call on every Asian Canadian to come to this meeting to share your thoughts and particularly your experiences caused by such senseless racist acts of violence,” Ms. Go said.

(Source:The National Post)