TV9 Gujarati shares video with false claim that Chinese nationals banned in Australian supermarket

A video of a couple being confronted by a man is doing the rounds on social media with the claim that people of Chinese origin are not allowed inside the supermarket in Australia. Gujarati news channel TV9 Gujarati tweeted the video with the caption, “#coronavirus has sparked racist attacks on Chinese in #Australia. According to Viral video, chinese people are not allowed to enter supermarket.”

#viralvideo : #coronavirus has sparked racist attacks on Chinese in #Australia .
According to Viral video, chinese people are not allowed to enter supermarket. pic.twitter.com/HOaSeBAtr3

— tv9gujarati (@tv9gujarati) April 16, 2020

Spokesperson of BJYM Telangana Roop Darak tweeted the video with the message, “Rt if you think this should be followed in entire world Earth globe europe-africa Chinese not allowed in Supermarkets in Australia So it’s started.” It has amassed over 1,000 retweets so far. IPS officer HGS Dhaliwal too posted the same claim along with the video.

Many other people on Facebook and Twitter posted the video with the same narrative.

Alt News has received several requests on its official Android application to fact-check this claim.

Fact-check

With a keyword search on Google, Alt News found an article by UK’s news outlet Daily Mail published on April 11, 2020. The report said that two shoppers got involved in a fiery exchange over baby formula at Big W store in Lilydale, Melbourne. A couple, who is wearing a mask, was seen lining up at the checkout with two tins of baby formula each.

Australian media outlet News.com.au informed that major retailers in the country like Big W, Coles and Woolworths have long maintained an in-store policy which limits two baby formula tins per purchase to deter those who are thought to be buying on behalf of others and shipping products overseas. “The footage shows shoppers confronting a man and a woman in Big W after they were reportedly seen lining up multiple times at the checkout with baby formula tins.” reported the outlet. Australian television channel 7News reported that the couple buying the tins were escorted out of the store by the security officer.

In a statement issued to Yahoo News Australia, Big W spokesperson said, “The customers had a disagreement and then were asked to leave our BIG W Lilydale store by a store team member and centre security, police involvement was not required,”

A video of two shoppers engaged in a heated exchange over alleged hoarding of baby food was shared with the false claim that Chinese nationals are not allowed to get inside supermarkets in Australia.