The Suicide Squad star is using her platform to speak out against anti-Asian hate crimes, which have been spiking across the country more than ever. She shared the whole incident in a detailed post. Here’s what actually happened.
The Incident
Karen says the alleged assault went down Wednesday and came out of nowhere. She says she was walking down a street to pick up some coffee at a café when a random passerby struck her in the back of the head as they walked by each other.She made no eye contact with the passer. It came to her surprise and her hate flew off. By the time she looked back, he was a few feet away from her. She explained about confronting him first but he started coming towards her and she didn’t think it was worth the risk. After a few seconds of staring at each other, and him yelling at her, he eventually walked off. She did not name the location of the alleged attack.
The Statement
Karen says she was not injured, but the attack left her feeling shaken. She says she had never experienced this kind of hate crime before, and it came as a shock to her. Fukuhara says she believes the attack was racially motivated because she’s Japanese-American and “racism is not just an American issue.” Karen said it was important for her to come forward with the story, because of the recent rise in Asian hate crimes across America during the pandemic many of which have gone unreported.
Fukuhara says she’s been thinking about all the Asian people who have faced worse attacks over the past year, and she says, “My heart goes out to those who have suffered more serious injuries.”
She shared this incident with her multi-racial friends who were not familiar with such hate crimes happening every day. She further added she felt it was important to raise awareness.
“Ultimately I know I got lucky. He could have come back to hit me again. He could have carried a weapon. The shock of this experience has me thinking about taking self-defense classes. But why is this something we as ‘victims’ have to think about? What satisfaction are these perpetrators getting from hitting women, Asians, the ELDERLY?”
A little about Karen Fukuhara
Karen Fukuhara is an American actress. She gained fame for her role as Katana in the DC Comics film Suicide Squad (2016). Fukuhara is a first-generation Japanese-American. Fukuhara’s career started as a stuntwoman on films such as Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Fukuhara has appeared in several notable projects, including The Boys and Suicide Squad.
She was most recently seen in the second season of Amazon’s superhero series, as the vengeful Kimiko, known as The Female. The Boys is currently in production for its third season, which has been delayed thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
As for Fukuhara, she seems to be handling the aftermath of this attack with grace, but it’s clear that she’s still shaken up about it.
Hopefully, speaking out about her experience will help make people more aware of these kinds of incidents and encourage others to take a stand against hate crimes.
