Fact Check: COVID-19 Positive Chinese Woman Arrested For Spitting on Bananas in Australian Supermarket is FAKE! Here's The Truth
A video which was being widely shared on social media claimed to show a 'Chinese' woman shopper of spitting on bananas kept on the rack at a supermarket. As per reports, the 54-year-old woman had "tested positive for COVID-19" and was arrested for spitting on fruits in a Sydney supermarket.
A video which was being widely shared on social media claimed to show a 'Chinese' woman shopper spitting on bananas kept on the rack at a supermarket. As per videos going viral on social media, the 54-year-old woman had "tested positive for COVID-19" and was arrested for spitting on fruits in a Sydney supermarket. However, after the news spread, it has since been revealed that the viral video is edited to include two women from separate incidents. The first part of the video is from Gordon located in Sydney's north. It was shot on March 19 wherein the woman refused to follow police instructions. She was arrested but later released without charge. Fact Check: Bananas Prevent Coronavirus Infection? Viral Video Claiming Australian Research Stated Bananas Can Help Prevent COVID-19 Is FAKE; Here’s the Truth.
Meanwhile, the second part of the video is a blurred CCTV footage of a woman spitting or sneezing on bananas in a supermarket. As reports claiming both women to be the same started doing rounds on the internet, some social media users pointed out that both the women were wearing different outfits. As the videos went viral, racist tweets and videos calling her 'Chinese' began to be shared widely on social media platforms.
Check Out The Tweets Below:
Check Another Video:
Various Tweets Accusing The Woman of Spreading COVID19 Was Posted:
Here's Another Tweet:
Woman Appearing to Spit or Sneeze on Bananas in a Supermarket:
In the clip where the woman is seen holding shopping bags, the cop is heard saying, "Put your hands out! You're resisting arrest. Do you understand that? I told you five times, just listen." To which the woman replies, "I did not do anything wrong."
A New South Wales Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that she was arrested after a "disturbance" involving a staff member and refused to take instructions from the police and staff to leave the supermarket. The spokesperson said, "She refused, and the 54-year-old woman was arrested and taken to Gordon Police Station. She was spoken to about her behaviour at the store and released."
Video of Woman Being Arrested at Woolworths Supermarket in Australia:
The video was initially posted to TikTok was removed later. On March 25, the video of the woman spitting on bananas was posted to Twitter by controversial Australian sports and media personality Sam Newman with the caption, "'Racist', I hear you shout." The tweet was later deleted.
A spokeswoman told Daily Examiner that both the incidents were not connected to each other. While the video of the woman being arrested was shot at Gordon Woolworths, there is no evidence that the 'spitting' video was filmed at the Australian supermarket. The video of the woman spitting was posted on social media with the text 'Chullora Woolworths' and was shared between March 23 and 25. However, the other video of the woman being arrested was shared on March 19.
Fact check
A video which was being widely shared on social media claimed to show a 'Chinese' woman shopper spitting on bananas kept on the rack at a supermarket. It was shared with the video of a woman getting arrested. It was said that the woman was arrested for spitting on bananas.
Both were separate incidents and did not happen on the same day.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 28, 2020 10:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).