The COVID-19 pandemic has the world firmly in its grip with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide [1] and over 100 countries in full or partial lockdown [2] (as of April 24 2020). Although political leaders call for solidarity and people all over the world have started support initiatives, various incidents prove that the corona outbreak has also given rise to a series of discrimination and racist attacks against Chinese people and people with Asian looking features [3,4,5]. These attacks are not restricted to the physical space but pertain to social media networks as well. Already on January 24, the hashtag “#ChineseDon'tComeToJapan” was trending on Twitter, with Chinese tourists being labelled as “dirty” and “insensitive”[6].
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