Screenshot/Facebook
The woman pictured in a viral video dishing out a racist rant in a Richmond parking lot will not face criminal charges.
Richmond Mounties released a statement on Tuesday afternoon stating that, although the contents of the video are “disturbing and troubling,” after consultation with the BC Prosecution Service, the matter “will not proceed to criminal charges.”
“Over the last three days, Richmond Detachment investigators have worked diligently to gather the required facts and evidence to make an informed decision as to how to proceed with this matter,” read the release.
Police did, however, warn members of the public that their comments towards the woman on social media could, in fact, be deemed criminal in nature.
"We can appreciate that the community here in Richmond and the extended community online feels strongly about comments made in the video, but we would certainly not wish for anyone to cross the line from spirited conversation to criminal cyberbullying,” said Insp. Sunny Parmar.
“We must respect this individual is still entitled to due process and has a reasonable expectation of personal privacy.”
The News reported on the weekend how the troubling video of a woman yelling at a Chinese immigrant to “Go back to China where you belong” in the parking lot of a Richmond grocery store went viral on Chinese social media Friday afternoon.
Richmond RCMP said at the time that "In order to ensure the integrity of the investigation and the privacy of the individuals involved, we are asking the public to respect the investigative process and refrain from posting any comments on social media."
The footage – which was originally posted on WeChat on Friday – shows an unidentified Caucasian woman yelling at the individual behind the camera, saying “You don’t know a damn thing, go back to China where you belong.”
Fang Xu, whose wife Amy Xu recorded the video, said that Amy Xu had taken their daughter and Fang Xu’s mother shopping at Richlea Square Shopping Centre on No.3 Road Friday afternoon. Then another car suddenly parked too close to Amy Xu’s vehicle, and the car owner left the car right away.
Fang Xu said that his wife waited for the owner to come back, and that Amy Xu then told the woman that her car was parked across the white dividing line.
However, instead of apologizing, the woman asked Amy Xu, “Where you are from?”
In response, Xu said that “this question has nothing to do with the parking.”
“You don’t know a damn thing, go back to China where you belong,” said the woman, who then swore at Amy Xu and used a racial slur.
According to Amy Xu, she only captured 15 seconds of the woman’s xenophobic rant before leaving the parking lot with her daughter.
Fang Xu also said his daughter is having trouble sleeping because of the incident.
