CORONA RACE ROW
Brit actor Jason Wong told ‘you’re Chinese, stand away from me’ in coronavirus race row at London newsagent
A BRITISH actor claims he was racially discriminated against and told "you’re Chinese, stand away from me" as he stood in a London newsagent during the coronavirus lockdown.
Jason Wong, who starred in Guy Richie hit The Gentlemen, said the middle-aged man confronted him and asked: "Are you Chinese?"
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The 34-year-old actor, who was born in London, then began arguing with the shopper while recording the scene on his smartphone in West London on Saturday.
Jason claims shop staff "just stood there in silence" during the dispute, which he claims is a case of Covid-19 racial prejudice "causing fear among the East Asian community".
In the video, Jason says the man "came up to me and asked if I was Chinese and then came up to me and said he was scared that I was Chinese".
The shopper, who denied being racist on the video, appeared to be speaking with an Irish accent and continued paying for his groceries while using a face mask and blue gloves.
He replied: "It’s not your race. It’s where corona comes from. Look at the world. The state of it. What’s happening."
The incensed actor then continued the dispute with the man claiming he "decided to racially discriminate against me".
He said: "Absolutely disgusting behaviour. You should be ashamed of yourself."
Staff at the shop said the argument began when the older man asked the actor, who also features in White Dragon, to stay two metres away from him.
Jason told the : "He looked at me and said 'oh, you're Chinese, stand away from me'.
"I looked at him and said 'sorry? excuse me?' He replied 'you're Chinese, you might have coronavirus'.
"At that point I asked if he was saying that because of my race I had coronavirus, and he replied 'yeah, because it comes from where you're from.
It’s not your race. It’s where corona comes from. Look at the world. The state of it. What’s happening.
Shopper
"I just said: 'No, you've just made a general stereotype and very racially discriminatory comments.
"He then turned and said: 'Everyone is scared right now of Chinese people and you might have it.'
"No one else in the shop spoke up for me, they just stood there in silence which is fine.
"But I think the key message there is that if people are being racist, you have to be outspoken and speak up for yourself because no one else will."
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The Covid-19 coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, last year.
Jason added that "East Asians within the British community" could be "living in fear of being attacked because of racial discrimination";.
He said that he feared his mother, who is of East Asian descent, could also suffered prejudice when she goes out for her weekly shop.
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