Woman Wearing a Face Mask Attacked in NYC Subway, Called a ‘Diseased B*tch’

With the number of coronavirus cases growing, more Asians and Asian Americans are reporting instances of hate and discrimination, including one woman who was reportedly called a “diseased b*tch” at a subway station in New York City.

An NYC cosplayer, known on Facebook as Wei Song, caught the incident on camera. She wrote that a woman was sitting on a stairwell while donning a face mask in Chinatown at Manhattan’s Grand Street station when a male passerby approached her and called her a “diseased b*tch.”

When the woman told him to go away, the man proceeded to hit her on the head before fleeing.

In the video, posted on Facebook on Feb. 22, the woman can be seen running after the man, who then retaliates by swinging an umbrella at the woman.

“No one stepped in as she was getting beaten with an umbrella until I pulled him off. He ran out of the station shortly after,” Song recounted. “I truly believe that wearing a mask in NYC right now marks you as a target. So please be careful, and stand up for your friends.”

In a follow-up edit of the post, Song said it was fortunate things didn’t take a turn for the worse, as both the man and woman in the video had “a significant weapon of some sort.”

“Be safe out there and please watch out for yourselves!!” she said.

Song emphasized that the subway incident “is NOT an excuse to be racially discriminatory towards African Americans.”

“The problem is ignorance, not an entire race! We stand in solidarity against ignorance, not against a race,” she added.

Song later posted the aftermath of the incident to clarify that she and the lady had no apparent life threatening injuries:

“And just to clear things up: Me and the lady are both alright for the most part! She had a bloody lip and a slight forehead abrasion. Though I’m not sure, [because] she was pretty unstable afterwards and didn’t want help. I think she might have been intoxicated, not certain. I told an MTA guy to keep an eye on her and call help if he deemed necessary.
I am physically fine, just shaken up. I [kind of] just jumped in without thinking, but I was strong enough to pull him off and project myself (thank you weightlifting). Glad I was recording and glad I stayed cause I felt like something was up.”

Social media users have since praised Song for standing up and taking action.