New York (AFP) – A New York prosecutor said Thursday that his team was prosecuting its highest number of anti-Asian hate crimes since a unit was established more than a decade ago. Anti-Asian violence surged in the United States following the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Activists believe the hate crimes were fueled by talk of the “Chinese virus” by former president Donald Trump and others during the early days of the pandemic. New York officials have also cited a history of mental illness, exacerbated by a disruption to social services during the pandemic, among many of the perp…