Police Investigating Viral Video of Man Confronting Inter-Ethnic Couple; 60YO is Assisting With Investigations

Picture this:

You’re walking down a street with your girlfriend, and all of a sudden a man passing by calls you a “disgrace”.

Now, at that moment, you were not hurting any kittens nor wearing crocs, so there was no conceivable reason for him to call you that.

When you ask him, you discover that your crime was simply dating your girlfriend, who happened to be of different ethnicity.

Sounds insane, right? Well, this actually happened to a couple here recently.

Self-Proclaimed Racist Confronts Inter-ethnic Couple

A video of a self-proclaimed racist confronting an inter-ethnic couple went viral after it was shared on Mr Dave Parkash’s Facebook page yesterday (6 June).

Mr Parkash, a Singaporean, said he was walking with his girlfriend to their car when a man approached them and called them a disgrace.

Mr Parkash is half-Indian and half-Filipino while his girlfriend is half-Chinese and half-Thai, and the man seemed displeased that they were dating.

The argument that ensued was captured on video by Mr Parkash’s girlfriend:

In the video, the man, who is seen wearing a red jersey with the word “Singapore” on it, admits to being a racist.

Curiously, he believed Mr Parkash was also being racist for dating his girlfriend.

“I have nothing against Indians, but I think it is racist for an Indian to marry a Chinese girl.”

Mr Parkash then points out the fact that the man is wearing a jersey with the word “Singapore” on it, and calls him a disgrace.

“No, no, no, I’m not a disgrace. If you think there is no such thing as racism, you’re wrong, you’re a racist as well… You should date an Indian,” the man replies.

He then went one step further.

“I’m not saying you, I’m saying the Indian race. I’ve got nothing against you personally but I think it is racist that an Indian prey on Chinese girls. Prey, as in predatory.”

Then, as a self-employed spokesman for his race, he says that “the Chinese” are not happy with Chinese women marrying Indian men.

The argument got especially heated at one point when the man pointed at Mr Parkash’ girlfriend and said she was “disgracing him.”

Hurt & Humiliated

In his post, Mr Parkash said he was hurt and humiliated, and that no one should be shamed because of their skin colour.

“Love is love. Love has no race, love has no religion. You and I should be able to love whoever we wanna love. Let’s not become like this man in the video,” he wrote.

According to TODAYonline, the man and his girlfriend have been dating for around 7 years. People have given them the “side-eye” before, but no one has ever confronted them like this.

The viral video triggered massive uproar from netizens, who called for the man to be punished.

Well, they may just get their wish.

Police Report Made, Law Minister Concerned

The police confirmed that reports over the incident have been lodged, and investigations are ongoing.

A 60-year-old man is currently assisting with police investigations.

Writing about the incident on his Facebook page, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said the rise in incidents involving open racism is “quite unacceptable, very worrying”.

“I don’t have the full facts, just what I see in the video. If it’s accurate — then it’s horrible. It seems like more people are finding it acceptable to make ‘in your face’ racist statements — openly,” he wrote.

“I used to believe that Singapore was moving in the right direction on racial tolerance and harmony. Based on recent events, I am not so sure anymore.”

Featured Image: Facebook (Dave Park Ash)