Malawians in US fear attacks since Trump’s win
Malawi Washington Association (MWA), a grouping of Malawians in United States of America (USA), has bemoaned the increase in harassment and intimidation since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the November 11 2016 election in that country.
In a statement addressed to Malawians in the US which The Nation has seen, MWA president Sitinga Kachipande says the association has received reports of increased incidents of hate crimes against racial and ethnic minorities, a development which has left many concerned about their future in the country.
In an e-mail response to The Nation inquiry, Kachipande said at least one Malawian complained of being verbally abused and the matter was reported to police.
“I received a report from one Malawian citizen who was yelled at a bus station while she was on her way from/to work for no reason at all. The American was yelling obscenities at her and she reported to the police the next day.
“Some Malawian parents have reported that their children have been subjected to vandalism at their schools or colleges where racist epitaphs or threats against minorities are being inscribed. Having conversations with Malawians here, a few mentioned that they were afraid about what this means for jobs, immigration status, and the general mood here,” she said.
Kachipande said she spoke to the Malawi Ambassador in the US and that he was interested in hearing from Malawians if anything happened to them saying: “But, at the time I spoke to him, no one had reported to the embassy yet.”
MWA, in the statement, then suggested and encouraged Malawians, who are being harassed, threatened or intimidated to report to local police, or the Southern Poverty Law Center—the centre that was keeping track of the number of hate crime cases and if children are verbally or physically harassed at school they should report to school’s administration or to the Malawi Embassy.
“News of the hate crimes is reaching Malawians back home who have been paying attention to the election. If you haven’t spoken to family and friends in Malawi yet, call to let them know you are safe,” Kachipande said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they are not aware of any report of intimidation and harassment and have since advised the embassy in Washington to be alert.
“Our embassy in US has no report of any Malawian being intimidated or harassed. It might be possible that some of the affected people do not know that they should report this to the embassy. The embassy says it will be on the alert,” said Rejoice Shumba, the ministry’s spokesperson.
Public Affairs Officer for US Embassy in Malawi Edward Monster told The Nation that any person that will be affected by intimidations should report to the local law enforcement authorities.
“Any person affected by intimidation or harassment while in the United States of America should immediately report the incident to the local law enforcement authorities,” said Monster. n
