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The deadly outbreak of a new coronavirus in China has triggered a “hysterical” and “shameful wave of Sinophobia” in Italy, according to members of the Chinese Italian community and a rights group, with Italians and tourists of Chinese and Asian origin reporting acts of violence, discrimination and harassment.

The incidents include assaults, calls for sexual violence, insults and boycott of businesses.

“What are you doing in Italy? Go away! You’re bringing us disease,” a 15-year-old Chinese Italian boy was told before he was punched and kicked in the face in the northern city of Bologna on February 2, the Bologna Today newspaper reported.

Days later, in the southern city of Cagliari, a hospitalised 31-year-old Filipino man told La Nuova Sardegna, a local newspaper, that he had been attacked by a group of young men who thought he was Chinese and accused him of “bringing the virus” to Italy. 

In Milan, Hongqin Zhou, whose family migrated to Italy’s financial capital more than three decades ago, said a taxi driver refused to drive her, telling her he feared she may have the coronavirus.

“The virus has become a justification to express prejudice and hate. It wasn’t as bad during the SARS epidemic 17 years ago,” she said, referring to the 2002-2003 outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, which also originated in China.

“Of course, you would get awkward looks, but nothing as hysterical as this time.”

The new coronavirus, first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December, has killed more than 1 800 people and infected more than 70 000 globally. It has spread to more than two dozen countries — including Italy, which has three confirmed cases — but nearly 99 percent of the deaths and infections have been reported in mainland China.

Italy’s government reacted with alarm, suspending flights to China and declaring a six-month state of emergency to combat the virus. It is one of the two countries outside China to label the epidemic a local emergency. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, mainly because of fears the virus could spread to countries with weaker health systems.

Chinese Italians and activists say misinformation perpetuated by politicians and false claims on mainstream and social media has resulted in an “atmosphere of hate”. A spokesman for the Italian interior ministry declined to comment. 

In the central city of Florence, 22-year-old Monica Wang said she received a message on Instagram from an account she did not recognise wishing sexual violence upon Chinese people. “You Chinese are destroying the world, I hope your daughters are raped and raped again so you can learn to stay wherever you came from,” said the screenshot of the message Wang received on January 30. 

Meanwhile, some public officials have asked students of Chinese and Asian origin to stay home.

In one incident, the director of Conservatorio di musica Santa Cecilia, a famous music school in the Italian capital, Rome, said lessons for all “Oriental students” including those from China, Korea and Japan would be suspended because of the “Chinese epidemic”. They would only be allowed to return after a health check, he said. 

The viral outbreak has also added fodder to a long-running anti-migrant campaign by Italian far-right groups. 

Matteo Salvini, former deputy prime minister and leader of the far-right Lega Nord, called for the closure of all Italian borders on January 31, saying: “We need to stop all travel connections with China, it should have been done long ago.”

In the northern towns of Como, Brescia and Varese, posters proclaiming: “Coronavirus? Buy Italian. It’s a moral duty” were plastered to the storefronts of dozens of Chinese Italian owned businesses in late January. The posters carried the logo of the far-right Forza Nuova group.

Paolo, a 29-year-old member of a union representing the affected shop owners, told Al Jazeera fears over the virus has resulted in a sharp drop in trade.

“Business is considerably down,” said the young father, who preferred to give only one name out of fear of reprisals. “We are breathing an air of hostility at the moment. Of course, not everyone is prejudiced, but I’m very worried … about the business and my family. This is my home, I love this place. My entire livelihood is here.”

The police in the Lombardy region said they were aware of the posters but declined to comment further. 

Meanwhile, The UN secretary general has said that the virus outbreak “is not out of control but it is a very dangerous situation”.

Antonio Guterres said yesterday that “the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that.” Guterres added the spread of the virus to countries with “less capacity in their health service” would require a great deal of international solidarity. — Al Jazeera.