Man in Interracial Couple Viral Video Has Also Faced Racist Remarks in The Shop He Owns

You may have heard of the couple who had been accosted by a man on 5 June along Orchard Road for simply being an interracial couple. 

A stranger had approached Dave Parkash, 26, and Jacqueline Ho, 27, and told Dave, “I know you’re preying on a Chinese girl, and the Chinese are not happy.”

The incident was recorded by Jacqueline, and the video was posted by Dave onto his Facebook page, garnering over 17,000 shares. 

In the video, Dave can be seen calling the man a racist. 

To which the man responded with, “I’m racist. If you think there’s no such thing as racism, you’re wrong.”

The man has since been suspended from his post as a lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Engineering and is being investigated by the police. 

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that Dave, who is of Indian and Filipino-Spanish heritage, has had to contend with such abhorrent behaviour. 

Not the First Time to Face Racism

An owner of two-month-old gelato shop Lick D Cream, Dave has experienced racism in his very own store. 

A couple had asked his staff at the counter if she was the boss. The staff member directed them to Dave.

The couple refused to believe that Dave was the boss, with the man insisting “this Indian guy sure can’t be the boss”. 

He then went on to ask Dave, “You’re the server, right?” 

Dave’s gelato shop features menu items that are a reflection of his heritage, with both Singaporean and Filipino flavours such as purple yam, Milo Peng and Horlicks. There’s also an ice cream sandwich made with pandesal, a type of traditional Pinoy bread. 

Dave also co-owns the restaurant Fook Kin in Killiney road. Class 95 deejays The Muttons are also partners of the roast meat restaurant. 

Dave and Jacqueline were anticipating backlash and online hate after posting the video of the incident on Facebook. However, they have met with widespread support for calling out racism.

In response to the video, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said, “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.”

The couple did not file a police report against the man who had harassed them, as they “don’t want to hurt this man in any way” and that their intention was just to spread awareness and highlight the issue of racism.

Featured Image: Instagram (@lickdcream)