Fury as Republican appears to glorify lynching in hearing on violence against Asian Americans

Chip Roy pivots to whataboutism against Chinese government during hearing on anti-Asian violence and racism

Republican US representative Chip Roy raged at members of Congress for "policing rhetoric" during a hearing on Asian American violence and discrimination, held just days after several Asian American women were killed in a shooting rampage in Atlanta.

He referred to "Chi Coms" and his opposition to the "patently evil" Chinese Communist Party for the country’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, adding that he "shouldn’t be worried about having a committee of members of Congress policing our rhetoric” as a House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the rise in abuse and hate speech and attacks directed towards Asian Americans.

Mr Roy opened his remarks saying that “victims of race-based violence and their families deserve justice” but then added that his “concern about this hearing is that it seems to want to venture into the policing of rhetoric in a free society, free speech, and away from the rule of law and taking out bad guys.”

"When we start policing free speech we’re doing the very thing that we’re condemning when we condemn what the Chinese Community Party does to their country," he said. "Who decides what is hate? Who decides what is the kind of speech that deserves policing?”

He also invoked a reference to lynching: “There’s an old saying in Texas about find all the rope in Texas and get a tall oak tree. You know, we take justice very seriously, and we ought to do that. Round up the bad guys.”

Committee chair US Rep Steve Cohen responded, saying that “being spat at, slapped in the face, lit on fire, slashed with a box cutter, and shoved violently to the ground ... that’s not speech.”

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US Rep Grace Meng said that “this hearing was to address the hurt and pain in our community and find solutions, and I will not allow you to take our voice away from us.”

Lawmakers took aim at remarks from “the highest levels of government” including anti-Asian slurs and rhetoric from former president Donald Trump, amplified by his allies in Congress throughout the coronavirus pandemic.