In a viral video that is currently making the rounds online, an unidentified woman at a Trader Joe's in northern Virginia, U.S., is seen verbally harassing a Muslim woman.
The video was posted on Facebook by South Carolinian comedian Jeremy McLellan on Saturday.
In his post, McLellan writes: "A friend of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous) just sent this to me. I've confirmed that it's real. This happened today at the Trader Joe's in Reston, VA."
McLellan then goes on to explain how the incident began, writing that his friend had allowed the harasser to cut in line ahead of her at the check-out after noticing she was in a hurry.
"This woman was in a hurry so my friend (who is a Muslim woman) offered to let her go in front of her in line. That's when she started talking bad about a different Muslim woman in the store (who was wearing niqab) and asking my friend why she didn't cover as well. My friend replied it was a choice and the woman didn't believe her."
This is when Mclellan's friend began recording, telling the harasser that she shouldn't have let her cut in line to which the latter responded "I wish they didn't let you in the country," before going on to say that since [former U.S. president Barack] Obama's presidency ended, there's no longer a Muslim in the White House.
The video has garnered over 6 million views since it was posted to Facebook and has sparked fury among social media users who took to the platform to share their thoughts.
Many people are disheartened
Others are outraged
A few shared similar heartbreaking stories
Many hailed the woman who was attacked for her "composed" response
The number of hate crimes and acts of violence against Muslims, people of color and immigrants has been on the rise since the election of Donald Trump.
According to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the number of hate groups specifically targeting Muslims in the U.S. has nearly tripled in the past year.
Researchers at The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) attributed the spike to Donald Trump's campaign, saying that his success “energized” the radical right.