‘Speak English’: Video shows couple yelling at grandmothers, kids in Surrey B.C. park

A rally will be held in Surrey B.C. Tuesday night to support a group of grandmothers and kids who said they were recent victims of racism.

Video of an incident posted to social media shows a couple yelling at the group in Aspen Park over the weekend.

“Out of nowhere, without having a conversation with them ever, they came, picked up garbage and threw it at them,” Sahiba Kaur Sangha, one of the granddaughters, told Global News.

2:46 Anti-racism rally to support South Asian family targeted at Surrey park

“(My grandmother’s) clothes were soiled, I could see it.”

Sangha, who was translating for her grandmother, said the group was approached by the couple who are also residents of the neighbourhood.

“I was in tears, because these women, they don’t know a single word of English,” she said.

Global News spoke to the couple, who did not want to go on camera, about what happened. They said they regret yelling at the group and the children but denied throwing any garbage.

At one point in the video, the man can be heard yelling “we’re in Canada, yo, speak English.”

They said they have been receiving threats since the video was posted to social media and they have now reportedly apologized.

0:45 Black student alleges years of racism in Surrey schools

A professor at UBC said this type of incident can have a huge impact on children who are witness to it.

“One of the most devastating effects of this, you could say, of 150 years of this systematically, is in fact how children learn to internalize this,” UBC history associate professor Henry Yu said.

For Sangha, she said this incident has been really affecting her.

I am deeply, deeply upset,” she said. “I am deeply hurt that racist remarks were said. This is verbal harassment (and) I’m not with that.”

“I’m not okay with my grandmother being verbally harassed.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm not okay with my grandmother being verbally harassed."

The rally in the park is set to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

One of the organizers said the rally is to show community support and outreach for the group.

“That’s something they’re going to carry with them in their life,” Dupinder Saran, Aspen Park rally organizer. told Global News.

“So unless we speak up and we stand up against this kind of ignorance and not tolerate the fact that something could take place that day. We definitely cannot put this behind us.”

2:04 Man accused of racism in strata pool incident breaks his silence

Surrey RCMP said officers are still investigating the incident and were back at the park Monday looking to speak to more witnesses.