A Calgary man faces charges after police say he used racist language, kicked and spit on a vehicle belonging to an Asian man.
CTV News reports John Mark Koop faces charges of mischief to property and causing a disturbance.
As AsAmNews previously reported, Otis Chan posted on Instagram about the incident. He recalled being told to “go back to your country, ch*nk” and references to “ch*nky China.”
Chan told CTV Koop blamed Chinese for stealing jobs.
“‘F*ing Chinamen are taking our jobs,”’ Chan said Koop screamed.
Calgary Police said help from nearby merchants lead to an arrest in the case which they say is being investigated as a hate crime.
“We take these investigations very seriously. We do rely on citizens of Calgary to bring this information forward to us,” said Sr. Constable Craig Collins. “These offenses have a larger impact into that community so it isn’t just one person that’s affected, it has a wider message which is why we take it really seriously. We put a lot of time and resources into making sure that we investigate it properly.”
Collins pushed back on suggestions Koop has a free speech right to say what he wants.
“There comes a point where your opinion of free speech will get checked. To walk out and target somebody because of their colour or their sexuality and use offensive language or disturb the peace, you are going to find someone like me knocking on your door and taking them to court so you can explain those actions to the courts.”
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