Covid denier's racist rant on Sydney bus: 'Go back to China'
A Sydney bus driver faced a tirade of racist abuse after asking a man — who claimed Covid is a "scam"— to wear a mask when he stepped on board.
In a video shared to TikTok, believed to have been filmed this week, the unmasked man is seen getting on the bus and arguing with the bus driver after she requested he wear a face covering.
"F*** you I'm not doing it," the man says as he gets on board, despite the driver telling him he isn't allowed.
"Covid's a scam, I'm not sick," he continues. "F*** you, drive the damn car".
The driver continued to ask him to put on the mask — which are required on public transport in New South Wales — as he walked to a seat.
"No, you go back to China!' he replied, ignoring her.
"You shut your mouth! This is Australia, f*** you!" she quickly responds.
The driver can be faintly heard calling him "stupid", then appears to return to her seat.
"No, you're stupid," the man retorts.
"You're spreading the fear, I'm not vaccinated, I'm f****** free. Idiot"
"Three years in and people still haven't woken up to the bulls***".
The video then ends.
TikTokers horrified over passenger's reactions
Many TikTok users condemned fellow passengers for not standing up for the bus driver — particularly as there has been a rise in Covid attacks amid the pandemic.
"Of course no one gonna defend her," one exasperated user wrote, with another exclaiming "no one even stood up for her".
"All the ppl here in the comments casually accepting his racist remark as normal is concerning," another added.
"The driver has ultimate authority here. I think policy is to not move the bus until they are off," one user wrote.
Transport NSW told Yahoo it was unaware of the incident and are looking further into the matter.
There has been a rise in racist attacks amid the pandemic, with the Asian community expressing its concerns over the heightened threat they face in Australia.
Last year, China's foreign ministry called on Australia to own up to its problem with racism.
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