Anti-masker films himself being kicked out of Mitre 10 store in New Zealand

An anti-masker has filmed himself being kicked out of a hardware store after frustrated staff asked him to put on a face covering.

The man confidently walked into the Mitre 10 Helensville store, northwest of Auckland, last week, ignoring requests from staff outside the shop to check in and put on a mask.

‘No,’ he said to the worker who asked him to wear a mask. ‘See, that’s how you do it and then you don’t sign in.’

But upon entry into the hardware store, a worker named Kyle immediately confronted him.

‘Excuse me can you put a mask on?’ he said repeatedly to the man who refused.

He became caught in a heated scuffle with a staff member who told him to leave the store after he refused to put on a mask

A tussle between the pair then broke out with Kyle appearing to grab the anti-masker’s shirt before dragging him out of the store.

‘Look at this guy!’ the anti-masker says while recording with his phone.

‘I’m asking you to leave the shop,’ the worker says.

‘You can’t deny me service, that’s my human right!’ the customer claps back.

Kyle then says the store was only trying to ask him to put on a mask, and wasn’t ‘discriminating’ against the shopper.

Another store worker then joins in and tells the customer he has been trespassed and is banned from the venue for two years.

The pair argued before the staff worker said he would be banned from the store for two years

‘You guys are f***ed up!’ the customer shouts back, claiming there are no laws around masks as the two staff members repeatedly tell him to leave.

Kyle said the man had earlier rang up the store and had threatened to come down and break Covid-19 restrictions.

Across New Zealand residents are currently required to wear a mask while on public transport and in businesses. 

A spokesperson for Mitre 10 said the owner is reviewing the incident and extra security has been placed on the site.

‘We acknowledge that this disagreement was not well-managed and we are taking appropriate steps to help ensure improved handling of these types of situations in the future,’ they said.

The anti-masker claimed he was not breaking any laws by refusing to wear a mask

Police said the customer was given a warning in relation to refusing to wear a mask under the Covid-19 public health orders, after receiving reports a man was being ‘verbally abusive’ to staff.  

The customer was also given a trespass notice.

The footage has done the rounds on social media with many defending the Mitre 10 staff.

‘I have seen the video of that fool who came to your store unmasked and just want to tell you that I completely support your position, no mask no service,’ one wrote to their Facebook page.

‘The staff are legends for dealing with this fool in the manner in which they did,’ said another. 

The footage has done the rounds on social media with many defending the Mitre 10 staff