Asian man yelled at in Montreal grocery store by woman angry about COVID-19
What began as a regular grocery run became an upsetting ordeal for a Montreal man, who says he was berated by a woman claiming the pandemic happened "because of you Chinese people."
Nuns' Island resident Ken Mak says he and his girlfriend were minding their own business at the checkout of his local grocery store when the woman approached them.
The woman asked if he was Chinese, he said. "So I told her ‘yes’ ... Then, she started asking questions about the pandemic.”
At first, he said, he thought she just wanted information, but then she got more aggressive.
"She started a monologue, and she started taking off her mask and getting closer to me," he said. He took out his phone to start recording.
"It's nothing against you, It’s about all of this 21 months of bull****," the woman was heard saying in the video. "It's because of you Chinese people."
Shortly after the interaction, the woman appeared to be escorted out of the store.
"We are incredibly disheartened and upset by the customer’s disrespectful behaviour," wrote IGA Louise Menard, where the incident took place, in a statement to CTV.
"In such circumstances, we ask the customer to leave our store, as our team did in this instance. Local authorities were contacted to assist in this matter," the statement continued. "At IGA, we denounce all forms of hate. This is never acceptable."
A spokesperson for the Montreal police confirmed with CTV police were called to the scene, and that the women left the store after officers asked her to.
Mak, who moved to Canada 20 years ago, said that he was "shocked" by the encounter, because "Canada is a very accepting country."
Asian Montrealers have long called attention to increased anti-Asian intolerance and insults they say they’ve faced following the arrival of the pandemic. He says he was compelled to shoot and upload the video to show people what it’s like.
"I can show Canada that these things are happening and that it's real, and it needs to stop," he said.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante also condemned the "unacceptable" verbal attack, saying in a message on Twitter that "I denounce this woman's racist remarks."
'SCAPEGOAT OF THE PANDEMIC'
A Montreal police report found hate crimes and incidents against the Asian community saw a spike in 2020. That year, residents held a vigil following attacks in Canada and the United States which some believed were racially motivated.
Anti-Asian racism has existed in Canada since the early years of the country's founding, when Chinese workers were employed to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, according to Winston Chan, board member of National Coalition Against Anti-Asian Racism.
But, he says, ever since the first cases of COVID-19 were discovered in China, it's gotten worse.
"Ever since then, Asian people became the scapegoat of this pandemic," he told CTV.
"I anticipate (that) when there are ... restriction measures" due to rising case counts, "it brings out the worst of some people," he said.
Chan says he wants the Quebec Government to do more to denounce prejudice against Asian people, specifically with regards to the COVID-19.
"I think that now is another opportunity for Premier Legault to speak out against anti-Asian racism," he said. That means, he said, telling Quebecers that Asian people "are not to blame" for the pandemic.
Correction
An earlier version of this story included a misquote, wherein the woman was accused of pushing the victim. The quote has been corrected. CTV regrets the error.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.