Sydney woman cops racist comment while parking: 'Literally shaking'
A Sydney woman has recalled the moment she says she experienced racism while trying to find a parking spot when shopping in the beachside suburb of Maroubra.
Social media influencer Lizzie Cao was noticeably shaking when recounting what happened on TikTok, appearing to still be in a car park.
"I'm in this really small parking lot and this lady who has clearly been waiting for a spot for a while, is kind of blocking the entrance," Ms Cao said.
"I go around her and am waiting at the end of the parking lot where I see a car one spot behind me start to move out.
"I start blinking...then the lady starts driving up and puts her indicator on, and I think that’s a bit weird because I saw the spot first and it was right behind me, and I thought I could have it."
The young influencer said she started to reverse into the spot when the woman drove up behind and "starts beeping at [her]."
Both drivers rolled their windows down to make claim to the parking spot.
"She proceeds by saying 'but I got here before you'," Ms Cao said.
"And I was like, 'yeah you may have got here before me but I claimed the spot first, I put my indicators on'.
"And I can’t believe she was like 'just like this country, I got here first'."
While recounting her experience, Ms Cao gets emotional.
"I am Australian, my background is full-Chinese but I just didn’t think that in this day and age racism could hit so hard," Ms Cao said shakily.
"It was just such a confronting experience."
After that, she said she proceeded to find another parking spot.
Call to ban TikTok in Australia after report claims data can be tracked
Council error leads to Sydney's most confusing parking space
Sydney woman slammed over avocado stunt at cafe: 'I'm shocked'
TikTok post goes viral, users support influencer
The post has garnered more than 84,000 likes, with many heading to the comments section to offer support for Ms Cao.
"Disgusting behaviour!" one person said.
"I'm so sorry you had to experience this. I hope you're feeling better," another wrote.
"As an Aboriginal person this doesn't shock me...but just so you know you are so welcome here," a third person said.
Many also shared their own experiences with racism.
"I remember a lady screaming at my friend's mum who was speaking Tagalog," someone explained.
"Not one person on the packed train platform stood up for her."
"I'm yt [white] and my husband is Chinese, we were in Brighton Le Sands when some guy came up to us and said 'disgusting, find a white guy'," another commented.
"The issues I've had in Maroubra are countless. I used to deliver there and the amount of disrespect and entitlement from drivers blew my mind," a viewer said.
After seeing the overwhelmingly positive response her video got, the young woman thanked everyone for their "kind words".
"It means a lot to me that collectively we can see how hurtful racism is and how it needs to change," Ms Cao said.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
