A White woman was charged Friday with hate crimes in Pennsylvania for directing an anti-immigrant rant at a Hispanic pizza shop owner that has since gone viral.
A joint release from Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Hatboro Police Chief James E. Gardner said that 55-year-old Rita Bellew, of Hatboro, was charged with ethnic intimidation and harassment for the incident at Amy’s Family Pizzeria on Feb. 23.
That day, Ms. Bellew is accused of launching into “a profane, racially fueled tirade,” according to the release.
“Bellew was apparently triggered, at least in part, by a Spanish broadcast being shown on television in the restaurant,” authorities said.
Crazy freakout at Amy’s Pizzeria in Pennsylvania because their TV was in Spanish.
— ChudsOfTikTok (@ChudsOfTikTok) February 24, 2023
We got to be careful though she has 4,000 followers 😆🤣 pic.twitter.com/QntjWl8GMH
In the clip, a White woman can be seen berating a Latino owner of the pizza joint and claiming that he is an illegal immigrant.
“You wanna have Spanish on your TV?” the woman said. “You’re not American, dude. I will look you the f— up and get you the f— out of our town.”
The woman then says that “I’m not giving my money to some illegal immigrant … You’re in America. You’re supposed to learn English.”
The woman eventually addresses the store employee who is filming her. The employee calls the woman racist, and the woman takes out her own phone to record the employee.
In Pennsylvania, the crime of ethnic intimidation is a third-degree misdemeanor. It can result in an offender serving anywhere from six months to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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