A British woman dubbed ‘Karen Dior’ has gone viral in Malaysia for refusing to wear a face mask on two widely reported occasions before releasing this trending video of her defending her “freedom to choose” after feeling the authorities’ wrath.
The woman, who introduces herself as “Kerry aka Karen Dior” in a video viewed 522,000 times since being shared on Twitter on 6th November, was first filmed refusing to wear a mask at a Dior boutique in the Suria KLCC shopping centre in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on 27th October.
The footage shows Kerry, without a face mask, talking to two masked Dior workers outside the store, claiming: “When I went to walk in, he (security guard) put his hands on me and pushed me!”
The video sparked outrage in Malaysia with netizens dubbing the woman ‘Karen Dior’ and calling for the authorities to take action. However, she was filmed refusing to wear a face mask at a different shopping centre three days later, according to local reports.
The second filmed incident allegedly involving Kerry, according to local media reports, took place at the Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The second video was shared on Twitter with the message: “This time, she wanted to enter BSC but was denied entry because she wasn’t wearing a mask and it seemed like she was arguing with the guard at about 10am this morning. She then left the entrance after she was done recording him. I managed to film her trying to enter the entrance of BSC as I was sitting in a cafe Burrow KL, which was opposite the mall’s entrance.”
Police spokesperson Noor Dellhan Yahaya said they will investigate both incidents, adding: “I can confirm that the woman in question has been identified.
“The next step will be completing the investigation papers as the final investigation process.”
According to recent reports, the British woman was fined MYR 3,000 (GBP 533) for the Suria KLCC incident and still awaits punishment for the alleged second refusal to wear a mask.
However, she has support in some quarters, and a video shared on Twitter by ‘117%WeThePeople’, showing Kerry stating “our song is freedom, freedom to choose” has been viewed 522,000 times.
‘117%WeThePeople’ shared the footage with the message: “Our patriots from Malaysia. Harassed by the government (see pinned Tweet). Terrorised at her home. Newspapers demonising her.”
In the footage, Kerry says that she comes from Manchester and has lived in Malaysia for two decades, adding: “My heart, my soul, my children all have a much-loved home here.”
She continues: “Our song is freedom, freedom to choose what we eat, where we go, who we go with, and what we do to our bodies – medically or otherwise. It is a choice, your choice, my choice.
“Many countries are giving up the (mask) mandates… open your eyes, open your hearts, open your souls, open your homes.”
As the video continues to go viral on Twitter, the word ‘Karen’ is reportedly trending among Malaysian netizens.
