The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Chinese shop targeted twice in days
A Chinese supermarket in Dundee has been targeted a second time in a matter of days in what the shop’s owner believes to be racially motivated incidents.
Two windows have been broken at Wing Fung on Trades Lane in two separate incidents this week with CCTV appearing to catch the same culprit in the act on both occasions.
Owner Bryan Chen has spoken of his shock and sadness but stressed he is “staying strong” in the face of the attacks.
The first incident happened on Tuesday evening at 9.48pm when a man walked up to the store and threw a stone or similar object at the shop’s side window three times, smashing it.
The second incident, on Thursday at 5.35pm, saw the man arrive at the store and again throw an object towards it while filming with his mobile phone before running off.
At this time, Mr Chen’s wife Qian Zheng was inside alongside two customers when the trio heard a loud bang.
Ms Zheng quickly left the shop to investigate, before calling her husband to alert him.
Shortly after she returned inside, the man came back, hanging around outside the shop while speaking on the phone.
He paced back and forward on the street for several seconds before throwing a second object at the window above the main entrance, this time smashing it. The whole incident was caught on CCTV.
Mr Chen said he believes the attacks are racially motivated and possibly linked to the recent worldwide outbreak of coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China.
Mr Chen said: “I stay strong but I am concerned about other Chinese people.
“I’m sure it’s a targeted attack. In the CCTV of the second incident, he arrives at the store with the stone in his hand and is speaking on his phone just before.
“I was concerned for my wife who was there.”
Yesterday, Yangang Laird, head teacher of Dundee Chinese School, called on those discriminating to recognise that Chinese people “are not a virus” and are “not a danger”.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We are aware of a report and inquiries are ongoing.”