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Man charged with assault following racist rant at Edmonton liquor store

Click to play video: 'Edmonton liquor store racist tirade'
Edmonton liquor store racist tirade
WATCH ABOVE: (Aug. 4, 2020): A liquor store employee is speaking out after being confronted by a customer. The employee says it started as a result of Edmonton's new mask law but spiraled in a racist tirade. Sarah Komadina has the details. – Aug 4, 2020

A 61-year-old man has been charged after a racist rant was caught on video at a north Edmonton liquor store earlier this month.

The incident happened on Aug. 2 at Olympia Liquor on 137 Avenue.

Video taken inside the store shows a man, who is not wearing a mask, move around the store and confront an employee. Store supervisor Navdeep Singh said the man was acting confrontational as soon as he entered the store.

“There were already two customers in the store. He started yelling at me about the mask. He said, ‘If you’re going to wear this thing, I’m not going to shop at the store. I will leave,'” Singh told Global News earlier this month.

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There is a sign on the door that asks customers to “Please wear [a] mask” while inside the store, but Singh said he didn’t have a chance to mention the rule before the man started shouting.

Singh said he directed the man to the exit, but he remained inside the store.

Navdeep Singh on August 4, 2020. Morris Gamblin/Global News

In a separate video circulating on social media, the man is seen in close proximity to two different men, both masked, while pointing and yelling racist remarks about “you people” coming to Canada.

As the man was leaving, he yelled “You’ve got to respect our country. Look how stupid [your] f***ing beard is.”
Singh said he calmly responded, “Don’t talk [about my] beard.”
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The man then entered the store once more to confront Singh and yelled “I can talk about your beard if I want. You want to talk about your beard? I’ve grown up in this country my whole life… You dumb f***.
“Canadians are the nicest f***ing people in the world and your belief system is not better than our f***ing lives, you got that buddy?” the man said as he directed his comments at Singh. “You are brainwashed.”

The confrontation came after new rules came into place on Aug. 1, when the City of Edmonton introduced a temporary bylaw that makes face coverings mandatory inside public spaces and public transit.

The fine for not complying with the mask bylaw is $100.

In an update Wednesday, the Edmonton Police Service said Terry Samsoniuk, 61, has been charged with one count of assault and one count of causing a disturbance.

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