Politicians of color decry 'racist' attacks on Boston mayor

Elected officials of color in Boston are coming to the defense of Mayor Michelle Wu for what they say are “openly racist, anti-Asian and sexist” attacks over the recently elected Democrat's coronavirus restrictions.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and more than a dozen other elected officials condemned on Tuesday “the relentless threats of violence and hateful attacks” on Wu and her family.

“This type of vitriol, toxicity and hate is far too common for women of color in politics, and we can’t help but wonder if the same toxicity and vitriol would be directed at a mayor who wasn’t a woman, a person of color, or an unapologetic history-maker like Mayor Wu is," read the statement from Pressley, the county district attorney, county sheriff and a number of Boston state lawmakers and city councilors.

Wu has faced near-daily protests over her decision to require vaccines for city workers and at restaurants and other indoor establishments.

Online critics have called Wu “mayor of Wuhan" and falsely claimed she's affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party while protesters regularly demonstrate in the early morning hours outside the home she shares with her young family, The Boston Globe reports.

Wu grew up in Chicago and is the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. She took office in November as the first woman and first person of color elected mayor of Boston.