'Racist' Woman Filmed Telling Shop Workers To 'Go Back To China'

A video which emerged on social media of a woman in Canada verbally abusing Chinese shop workers has gone viral.

The clip, which runs for just under a minute-and-a-half, was captured at Chinese speciality store Foody Mart in Toronto and shows the person becoming irate with staff, ordering them to 'go back to China'.

Although the clip only lasts one minute and 24 seconds, the customer's rant reportedly went on for closer to 15 minutes in total.

The woman, who remains unidentified, can be heard shouting at Foody Mart staff who she deemed unable to speak English - something which turned out to be incorrect.

"Go back to China. This is Canada, English-first country," the woman is heard saying in the video. "If you're going to work here, it is the law to know English."

Despite her self-assured nature, workers at private businesses in Canada are not legally obligated to speak English. Requirements to speak English and French only apply to certain employees at federal institutions.

The video, originally posted to Facebook, has had a staggering 1.5million views and has been shared almost 10,000 times.

Frank Hong, the 15-year-old student who recorded the video, says other customers tried to defuse the situation by offering to translate for the woman. However, the woman refused to co-operate.

Credit: Facebook/Frank Hong

"I put this video out to show the world that racism and xenophobia and bigotry still exists in Canada, and we really need to work together to stop it," Hong told CTV News on Sunday.

Next to the video, he wrote: "Let's raise awareness and make sure this never happens again in Canada. We, as Canadians and as the World, need to stand up to this bigotry, xenophobia and racism.

"It makes me nothing but seething mad that this lady had the audacity to spew such toxic words while exploiting POC cultures. Absolutely horrendous.

"Myself, as a student leader in Toronto, will do everything I can to stop this kind of racism. We all need to do something about this so that people won't have to witness such situations ever again. EXPOSE RACISM!"

Hong, in his Facebook post, also commended on another woman who appears in the video stepping in to help translate.

"I have never seen someone with so much kindness and compassion, it is truly breathtaking," he wrote. "Love in the face of hate, she is really a role model for all of us."

In spite of the international viral attention the clip is currently receiving, Toronto police told CTV News Toronto that they aren't investigating the encounter as a hate-related incident and said that no official complaint had been filed.

Words: Paddy Maddison

Topics: Canada

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