A mother and daughter from the Arab city of Tayibe in central Israel experienced racist treatment on Monday from a saleswoman at a clothing store in a mall in the Sharon region. The saleswoman mocked and cursed at them during the incident.
Following the event the store owner decided to fire the saleswoman, who was caught on video insulting the mother and her pregnant daughter, saying, "You and your fetus are wh*res. Go to Gaza; maybe there’s a mall there.” The mother and daughter responded: "You’ve crossed all lines. No saleswoman ever called us wh*re before."
"A few days ago, we bought a coat from the store and wanted to return it because the size didn’t fit,” the mother told Ynet. “The saleswoman told us, ‘I’ve closed the register and I can’t accept anything,’ even though there was still an hour and a half until closing time.
“I asked to speak to the manager and she called someone, then came back claiming: ‘You’ve worn the coat, and it has cigarette marks.’ We told her that wasn’t true, that we’re well-mannered and don’t deceive people,” she recounted.
“We’ve been shopping at this place for years. At that moment, I was shocked when the saleswoman said, ‘Why are you shouting?’ — even though I wasn’t shouting. She continued to curse at me and my daughter, calling us wh*res and saying, ‘Go to Gaza.’ Her words deeply hurt us."
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The mother added, "I personally wasn’t willing to stay silent about such behavior. I called everyone in charge and they apologized for what we went through and informed me that they had fired her. It’s very important not to stay silent about incidents of racism and to raise your voice; otherwise, this phenomenon won’t stop."
The store manager told Ynet that "I condemn such behavior. Speaking to people this way is unacceptable anywhere. I deeply apologize. Following the employee’s actions, she has been fired and will not be returning to work."