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| - Six French youngsters were jailed for two to six years on Friday for the violent muggings of some 20 people of Chinese origin, in the latest case of "anti-Asian racism". Aged 18 to 21 when the incidents took place in 2018 in Paris and its outskirts, they would wait outside restaurants popular with the Asian community, a court in the city of Bobigny heard. They acted methodically and showed "real professionalism," the prosecutor had said on Thursday. They would follow their victims, all of Chinese origin, "to their home" where they attacked them "violently" and robbed them. The prosecutor said they were targeted "due to their ethnic group," underscoring the racist nature of the crimes as an aggravating circumstance. She added that two to three violent robberies on Asian people take place every week in Seine-Saint-Denis, a region on the outskirts of Paris where many people of Chinese origin work in the textile sector. Critics have accused police of neglecting to address a threat against France's Chinese community, often targeted because of stereotypes that they are wealthy and often carry large amounts of cash. The violent beating to death of a tailor, Zhang Chaolin, in northern Paris in 2016 brought to light the numerous assaults on members of the Asian community. The 49-year-old father of two was on his way to a restaurant in a Paris suburb when he was mugged by two teenagers, who came away with just a phone charger and some sweets. They were jailed in 2018. al/js/mbx/spm
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