A confrontation outside Richmond Provincial Court was caught on camera Wednesday afternoon after anti-racism protesters showed up.
In a video filmed by members of the Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group, a woman was seen entering the courthouse and banging a door against the wall while protesters asked "what's wrong with you" to her.
The video also captures her, later on, swinging her bag and shouting at the protesters and reporters.
Frank Qi, a journalist with Omni National, confirmed with the Richmond News that his arm was injured after being scratched by the woman. Qi said he also reported this incident to the police.
Ivan Pak, a spokesperson of the advocacy group, claimed the woman provoked the confrontation by knocking down protesters' placards and then throwing them into the parking lot.
"Demonstrators then followed her and asked why she did that, which is when this lady became aggressive and belligerent and started attacking journalists and protestors," claimed Pak.
In another incident, a man got into an argument with protesters.
"I don't particularly (hate) Chinese, you brought the coronavirus in this country. You are killing our people. Do you like French food? Do you like Vietnamese food? You like all foods? You have no preferences? I have preferences. I prefer to have English or French or German than having Chinese in this country," the man said on camera to the demonstrators.
The advocacy group has previously held a rally outside the city's courthouse during court appearances for a pair charged with mischief following an incident involving alleged racial slurs at a Steveston coffee shop on March 29.
In March, the News reported how some of the incident was caught on a security camera at Steveston's Rocanini Coffee Roasters, showing the couple appearing to throw coffee on the floor and in the direction of a staff member, apparently after being asked to move tables to accommodate social distancing rules.
From that incident, Astrid Maria Secreve and Michel Jean-Jacque Berthiaume each face a charge of mischief related to the incident in Steveston.
The News has reached out to the RCMP for comment on Wednesday’s altercation.
