A 91原创 woman who wore a mask during a visit to a dog park said she was berated, then physically assaulted, by a man in a Trump-style 鈥淜eep America Great鈥� hat who accused her of following 鈥減ropaganda鈥� about COVID-19.
The woman, a Willoughby resident who asked not to be named, told the 91原创 Advance Times the incident happened on Saturday, May 8, when she and her sister took the family dog to the Brydon off-leash dog park in 91原创 City at 198th Street and 53rd Avenue.
鈥淚 wore a mask because the area is usually pretty busy and I wanted to do my part in this pandemic,鈥� she recounted.
After about an hour, the two were getting ready to leave when a man who wasn鈥檛 wearing a mask asked her why she was a 鈥渞acist follower.鈥�
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 wearing my glasses so I couldn鈥檛 read his hat at that moment so I just raised my eyebrows and laughed while looking at my sister. Then he said, 鈥榶ou fascists are _____ ridiculous鈥� and my sister and I [were] looking at each other in shock and I just told her to ignore it.鈥�
Then, she said the man told her she was 鈥渇ollowing covideous propaganda鈥� and her sister said, 鈥淪he鈥檚 just trying to keep everyone safe.鈥�
He was wearing a red baseball hat with a 鈥淜eep America Great鈥� logo, an apparent nod to the 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� or MAGA hats that former U.S. president Donald Trump and his supporters are known for.
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As he continued to berate her, the woman produced her phone, took his picture and began to record him on video, which is when, she said, he tried to grab it away.
鈥淗e was squeezing my arm, pinching and scratching the hand my phone was in while my sister pushed him off of me,鈥� the woman said.
Her video shows the man shouting that she wasn鈥檛 allowed to take his picture without permission because he isn鈥檛 a public figure, something that is not the case in a public place under Canadian law.
When another man intervened to defend the sisters, the man in the baseball cap became hostile toward him as well, at which point all three left the park, she said.
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When the woman posted a warning about the incident to social media, she was surprised by some of the reaction.
鈥淚nitially, I wasn鈥檛 taken aback because I know people have opposing views in every area,鈥� she said.
鈥淗owever, I think what really took me back was seeing the support the negative comments got. What really surprised me was seeing the sensitivity behind Trump in Canada. 鈥�
One person complained that the woman 鈥減icked on him for having a MAGA hat on, then twisted the story.鈥� The writer signed off with 鈥淭rump 2024.鈥�
Another argued the man 鈥渋s a hero, he is doing the right thing by giving the mask community a taste of what it鈥檚 like to be harassed for not wearing a mask.鈥�
One person called it 鈥淜arma鈥� for all the people 鈥渂eing assaulted on buses or Skytrain for not wearing a mask.鈥�
Another described her as a 鈥渢ypical scummy racist liberal.鈥�
On the other hand, one person wrote that someone should tell the man in the hat 鈥渢hat we are in Canada and devotion to the mango Mussolini is really irrelevant.鈥�
Another said the man 鈥減ursued and intentionally made an effort to engage when ignored. That鈥檚 messed up.鈥�
Another person reported they have had their own unsettling encounter with the MAGA hat man, who 鈥渨ent on a tirade about how 鈥榩eople who wear masks should all be shot!鈥� and a whole bunch of other rubbish I can鈥檛 remember now.鈥�
91原创 RCMP confirmed an investigation is underway into an alleged incident of assault in the park on that date.
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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