A Brisbane man told he should 'pack up and go back to New Zealand' during a woman's racist rant says he only spoke to her because he felt sorry for her.
Jerome Forbes, 20, was waiting at a bus stop in a suburb of Brisbane when he struck up a conversation with an elderly lady who was also waiting for a bus.
He told Australian media he asked how her day was because he was having a great day. He says he was trying to be polite when she began mumbling to herself.
"I didn't realise she was angry at me," he says.
He said before he started filming he asked her what she was doing with her day.
"She said, 'I could ask you the same thing, you should go back to your country.' I was kind of shocked because I'm born in Sydney and that's when the video happened."
Mr Forbes' dad posted the video to YouTube on Tuesday and it went viral, beginning a conversation in the comments section about racism in Australia. In two days it was viewed over 1.5 million times.
Ever since then, Mr Forbes' and his dad have been responding to commenters from around the world. Mr Forbes told News.com.au his calm reply to the woman stems from his Mormon faith.
"I just built up a tolerance to people having a go at me. I've learnt that they are not having a go at me in general and she was having a go at foreigners and not me personally.
"I feel sorry for her, for her ignorance, I guess, it seemed she had a really small perspective on life. It's sort of sad that's what she still thinks at her age."
Newshub.
