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Surrey RCMP is investigating allegations of racial comments directed at a child, in Newton
4-14-2021
On April 11, 2021, Mourad Koufaoui was with his wife and three young children, who were preparing for Ramadan, when one of his daughters was approached by a stranger while shopping.
The incident happened at Superstore grocery store in the 7500-block of King George Boulevard when his 9-year-old child was approached by the unknown man who allegedly made racists comments to the child.
The video of the incident was made public by the father of the child and posted online on his Facebook profile. The video does not include the alleged comments but shows the aftermath, a confrontation between the girl's father and the man who he claims made the comments.
He's seen in the video wearing a red "Keep America Great" baseball hat with "45" on the side, in reference to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
In the video, the man recording walks up to the man in the Trump hat, repeatedly calls him racist and claims he called his daughter, 9, an "Islamic terrorist."
"This incident was understandably upsetting for the child and their family and we have engaged Victim Services," said Manly Burleigh, superintendent of Surrey RCMP Operations Support Officers, in a written statement.
"Comments like the ones directed at this child are reprehensible, unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our community," said Burleigh.
Koufaoui, who posted video of the confrontation in the store on his Facebook page, says the family is grateful for the support from the community since sharing details about the incident online.
“We are just hoping justice will be served,” Koufaoui said.
Through investigation, officers identified the man who is known to police. The investigation is on-going as officers work on gathering additional evidence, which includes speaking with witnesses and seizing video evidence.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
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