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‘The Face of the Coronavirus’: A Hong Kong Student Shunned in Italy ‘The Face of the Coronavirus’: A Hong Kong Student Shunned in Italy
(3 months later)
Soon after Ciara Lo arrived in Bologna, Italy, from her native Hong Kong last month, her wallet was stolen. But when she went to file a police report, she was told she would have to wait outside, she said. And when the 22-year-old student tried to open a bank account, she said she was turned away — by an employee who made a remark about the coronavirus.Soon after Ciara Lo arrived in Bologna, Italy, from her native Hong Kong last month, her wallet was stolen. But when she went to file a police report, she was told she would have to wait outside, she said. And when the 22-year-old student tried to open a bank account, she said she was turned away — by an employee who made a remark about the coronavirus.
Ms. Lo, in Italy to study at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, near Bologna, said that since her arrival, she has sensed that she is being discriminated against — even shunned — because she is Chinese.Ms. Lo, in Italy to study at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, near Bologna, said that since her arrival, she has sensed that she is being discriminated against — even shunned — because she is Chinese.
Northern Italy has been battling the spread of the coronavirus, which originated in Hubei Province, in mainland China, for over a week. Cities have been put on lockdown, over 1,600 cases have been confirmed and 34 people have died.Northern Italy has been battling the spread of the coronavirus, which originated in Hubei Province, in mainland China, for over a week. Cities have been put on lockdown, over 1,600 cases have been confirmed and 34 people have died.
[Read: India scrambles to escape a coronavirus crisis. So far, it’s working.][Read: India scrambles to escape a coronavirus crisis. So far, it’s working.]
After months of antigovernment protest and civil unrest in Hong Kong, Ms. Lo, an English major, said she had been eager for her semester abroad and her first trip to Italy. She flew to Bologna nine days before she was scheduled to, worried that her exchange program might be suspended because of the virus.After months of antigovernment protest and civil unrest in Hong Kong, Ms. Lo, an English major, said she had been eager for her semester abroad and her first trip to Italy. She flew to Bologna nine days before she was scheduled to, worried that her exchange program might be suspended because of the virus.
Updated May 27, 2020
In the summer of 2019, Hong Kong protesters began fighting a rule that would allow extraditions to China. These protests eventually broadened to protect Hong Kong’s autonomy from China. The protests wound down when pro-democracy candidates notched a stunning victory in Hong Kong elections in November, in what was seen as a pointed rebuke of Beijing and its allies in Hong Kong.
Late in 2019, the protests then quieted.
Those peaceful mass rallies that occurred in June of 2019 were pointed against the territory leadership of Hong Kong. Later, they devolved into often-violent clashes between some protesters and police officers and lasted through November 2019. The current protests are aimed at mainland China.
This latest round of demonstrations in Hong Kong has been fueled largely by China’s ruling Communist Party move this month to impose new national security legislation for Hong Kong.
To China, the rules are necessary to protect the country’s national sovereignty. To critics, they further erode the relative autonomy granted to the territory after Britain handed it back to China in 1997.
The rules would take direct aim at the anti-government protests and other dissent in Hong Kong. They are expected to prevent and punish secession, subversion as well as foreign infiltration — all of which Beijing has blamed for fueling unrest in the city.
The legislation would also allow the mainland’s feared security agencies to set up their operations publicly in Hong Kong for the first time, instead of operating on a limited scale in secrecy.
In trying to pass this legislation, Beijing is bypassing the Hong Kong government, and the legislation is being pushed by China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress.
“I thought coming to Italy would mean that I could actually go out for a bit,” she said.“I thought coming to Italy would mean that I could actually go out for a bit,” she said.
Instead, she says she got long, hard stares at the Bologna airport, and wondered if it was because of her face mask, which she had worn for the entire 16-hour flight. She took a bus to central Bologna — and soon after she got there, someone slashed her backpack open and stole her wallet, she said.Instead, she says she got long, hard stares at the Bologna airport, and wondered if it was because of her face mask, which she had worn for the entire 16-hour flight. She took a bus to central Bologna — and soon after she got there, someone slashed her backpack open and stole her wallet, she said.
A passer-by took her to a police station to file a report. But when she presented her Hong Kong passport, she said she was asked to wait outside, where she began to shiver in her thin sweatshirt. Ms. Lo said she was eventually allowed to file a report, but has not heard back about her wallet, though she was given a phone number to call if she developed symptoms of the coronavirus.A passer-by took her to a police station to file a report. But when she presented her Hong Kong passport, she said she was asked to wait outside, where she began to shiver in her thin sweatshirt. Ms. Lo said she was eventually allowed to file a report, but has not heard back about her wallet, though she was given a phone number to call if she developed symptoms of the coronavirus.
A spokeswoman for the Bologna police said that controls on people from countries considered at risk for the coronavirus had begun the day that Ms. Lo came in, and that the officers at the desk were required to make sure she had been checked.A spokeswoman for the Bologna police said that controls on people from countries considered at risk for the coronavirus had begun the day that Ms. Lo came in, and that the officers at the desk were required to make sure she had been checked.
Ms. Lo was also taken aback by her treatment at Intesa Sanpaolo, a bank where she tried to open an account so her parents could wire her money. At one branch, a teller told her that she could not open an account because she did not speak Italian. At another, she said she was escorted out by an employee who told her, apologetically, that she had to leave because she was from “the zone of the coronavirus.”Ms. Lo was also taken aback by her treatment at Intesa Sanpaolo, a bank where she tried to open an account so her parents could wire her money. At one branch, a teller told her that she could not open an account because she did not speak Italian. At another, she said she was escorted out by an employee who told her, apologetically, that she had to leave because she was from “the zone of the coronavirus.”
An Intesa Sanpaolo spokesman said the treatment Ms. Lo received “lacked respect and does not reflect the values or policies of Intesa Sanpaolo.”An Intesa Sanpaolo spokesman said the treatment Ms. Lo received “lacked respect and does not reflect the values or policies of Intesa Sanpaolo.”
Not everyone Ms. Lo has met in Italy has been hostile, she said. Some have gone out of their way to help her. The man who accompanied her to the police station gave her money for food when they parted ways. At another bank, an employee called her university on her behalf to explain that she did not have any money and was having trouble opening an account. The school sent an employee to Bologna to lend her money.Not everyone Ms. Lo has met in Italy has been hostile, she said. Some have gone out of their way to help her. The man who accompanied her to the police station gave her money for food when they parted ways. At another bank, an employee called her university on her behalf to explain that she did not have any money and was having trouble opening an account. The school sent an employee to Bologna to lend her money.
In general, though, she has felt like an outsider, she said. “I am frustrated. Because I am Chinese, I am the face of the coronavirus.”In general, though, she has felt like an outsider, she said. “I am frustrated. Because I am Chinese, I am the face of the coronavirus.”
In recent days, Italy has become the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, with the most cases of any country outside of Asia. Ms. Lo has mostly stayed home to avoid crowds and unwelcome stares, venturing outside only for groceries.In recent days, Italy has become the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, with the most cases of any country outside of Asia. Ms. Lo has mostly stayed home to avoid crowds and unwelcome stares, venturing outside only for groceries.
[Read: As coronavirus hits U.K., health workers fear getting sick, and going broke.][Read: As coronavirus hits U.K., health workers fear getting sick, and going broke.]
People around Bologna have cleared supermarket shelves of bleach and staples like pasta and tomato sauce, she said. The streets have become empty, like Hong Kong. Face masks are still uncommon, but more people are covering their mouths with winter scarves.People around Bologna have cleared supermarket shelves of bleach and staples like pasta and tomato sauce, she said. The streets have become empty, like Hong Kong. Face masks are still uncommon, but more people are covering their mouths with winter scarves.
Though she felt mistreated by the people from the bank and the police station, Ms. Lo said she does not wish anyone harm. She feels unwelcome, but she can empathize with why Italians are concerned and eager to keep their community safe. There is a similar feeling in Hong Kong, but the discrimination is directed toward those from mainland China, she said.Though she felt mistreated by the people from the bank and the police station, Ms. Lo said she does not wish anyone harm. She feels unwelcome, but she can empathize with why Italians are concerned and eager to keep their community safe. There is a similar feeling in Hong Kong, but the discrimination is directed toward those from mainland China, she said.
[Read: 10 Chinese readers share their stories of the coronavirus crisis.][Read: 10 Chinese readers share their stories of the coronavirus crisis.]
“How do we protect our welfare and rights while still being friendly to people?” she asked.“How do we protect our welfare and rights while still being friendly to people?” she asked.
She added: “It is not easy to strike a balance, and there will never be one.”She added: “It is not easy to strike a balance, and there will never be one.”
Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting in Rome.Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting in Rome.