A video posted on social media on Monday appears to show a Caucasian man in his 60s or 70s, venting his views about China towards a group of Asian individuals.
Carol, who didn't want to disclose her last name for safety reasons, shared the video on Facebook saying she and her friends were waiting for lunch at the Vancouver Convention Centre when the man approached them.
“We were just minding our own business at the waterfront waiting for our lunch, and he came up to us to start ranting about China,” reads the post.
In the video, the man identified himself as a Richmond resident and a “semi-retired” lawyer with a degree from McGill University while explaining his frustration about China.
He told the group that immigrants who have chosen to live in Canada are expected to “accept Canadian culture and act accordingly,” and to not change Richmond or other places into “Little China.”
“Not only is it racist, but it is a form of segregation. We expect them to learn English and we expect them to blend into Canadian culture. They made the conscious decision. They’re no longer living in Sheng Gin or Bing Bing or Ding Ding,” said the man.
Carol can be heard saying several times throughout the video that she is from Taiwan and not China, which he brushes off lightly.
While a man from the group, understood to be a co-worker of the woman, tried to tell the Richmond resident he doesn’t want to listen anymore, he is stopped by the Richmond resident saying “no, you’re going to listen to me,” followed by more aggressive comments.
When the group asked why he was “picking on (them)” he replied that he was mad.
“We’re mad at China and we’re mad at the Chinese culture,” said the man, while claiming that Canadians are “all angry” at them.
Meanwhile, a bystander challenges him stating that she wasn’t angry and that not all Canadians are angry. He retorts that she “should be angry” while bringing up the detainment of businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in China.
The encounter eventually ended with the man walking away after he was asked his name and the law firm he worked at.
