On the list of things not to do when you see someone not wearing a mask, “giving them a flying kick” is probably very low on the list.
“Racially abuse them” shouldn’t even be on this list, but somehow, one man managed to combine these two options in what was a horrific attack on a helpless woman and our country’s values.
Thankfully, it appears that he’s going to be punished for his misdeed.
Kicked Woman After She Momentarily Lowered Mask While Exercising; Allegedly Used Racial Slur
The incident occurred on the morning of 7 May at around 8:45am.
Madam Nita, an Indian Singaporean, was brisk walking along Choa Chu Kang Drive and momentarily lowered her mask at one point to catch her breath.
Now, since she was moving quickly while dressed in a sleeveless top and track pants, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that she was exercising; most would come to that realisation with a glance.
The keyword here is most.
A passerby, Wong Xing Fong, shouted at Madam Nita to put her mask above her nose. He had approached her near a bus stop outside Northvale condominium. Wong was with a woman at the time.
Madam Nita patiently told him that she was exercising, which is why she had her mask below her nose.
So now, the man knew for a fact that she was exercising. In spite of this, he shouted at her again to put her mask up.
When Madam Nita offered the same explanation, the man started to abuse the 55-year-old woman and allegedly used a racial slur.
“I was absolutely shocked. I do not like confrontation and I wanted to avoid an argument with him, so I said ‘God bless you’ and decided to walk away,” Madam Nita told The Straits Times.
However, this only frustrated the man further, as he ran towards her and gave her a “flying kick”, knocking Madam Nita to the ground. She sustained scratches on her arms and hands as a result.
The woman who was with the man did not intervene and the couple ran away when Madam Nita fell to the ground.
A kind bystander who witnessed the attack rushed to Madam Nita’s aid, helping her up and even offering plasters to stop the bleeding.
Man Charged, Could Face Imprisonment
Yesterday, Wong was charged with one count each of wounding racial feelings and committing a racially aggravated attack.
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If found guilty of the latter, he could be jailed for up to four-and-a-half years and fined up to S$7,500.
And if convicted of wounding another person’s racial feelings, he could be imprisoned for up to three years and fined.
The 30-year-old is also accused of using vulgar words to hurl racially charged insults at the victim.
Speaking about the incident after it occurred, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said it seemed to be an “unacceptable” racist and xenophobic attack.
Well, I think that’s something we can all agree on.
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If you’re wondering, is wearing a mask properly that important, you should watch this video here to understand the importance of wearing a mask:
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