A woman caught on camera attacking NHS care worker in Wetherspoons pub for 'speaking too loudly Polish' today denied she is racist and says she was ‘set up’.
Clare McCarthy was filmed lunging at Anna Rutkowska at The Kingswood Colliers bar in Bristol and was accused of shouting: 'You're in England now.'
But the 30-year-old alleged attacker today insisted she hadn’t used those words and she revealed she had been sacked today from her job as a recruitment consultant after the footage went viral on social media.
Ms McCarthy said she only reacted after being stared and laughed at by the Polish group for 20 minutes before one of them squared up to her when she confronted them and another pushed her.
Police are now investigating footage of the incident, which happened at 9.15pm on Saturday, the first day pubs across England re-opened after being closed for more than three months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Ms McCarthy said: ‘Racism happens all the time and it is wrong, I’ve always thought that.
'I don’t have a racist bone in my body.
‘But it’s almost as bad to accuse someone of racism when I have not muttered anything of the kind.
‘This woman has accused me of attacking her and I know that in the eyes of the law that if someone touches you first they are the instigator so I contacted the police today and reported the incident.
‘I want her to know that she is now part of the investigation and when that investigation is complete I will be pursuing her for defamation of character and loss of earnings.’
Clare McCarthy (pictured) said she did not even know the group were Polish and insisted she is not racist
Anna Rutkowska (pictured) was drinking at The Kingswood Colliers Wetherspoon in Bristol when a woman launched at her friend
She said she had gone out in Bristol on Super Saturday with her brother and a friend.
Although she had had a couple of drinks, she insists she was not drunk.
Recalling the incident, she said: ‘I noticed a group sat down in one of the booths staring over at me and laughing.
'This must’ve gone on for between 15 and 20 minutes.
‘Even when I was making eye contact with them, they were not looking away and so it got to the point where I just went over and asked them “what are you staring at?”
‘A guy stood up from the table and squared up at me and said “are we going to have a problem here?”
‘One of the girls then started shouting at me, accusing me of being racist.
‘I was very, very confused as to why I was being accused of that because I had no idea they were Polish.
Despite what they claim, I hadn’t overheard them talking and so didn’t know they weren’t talking in English.
‘Then the woman who had been shouting at me lunged out from the booth and pushed me aggressively.
Her friend, who was sitting across the table from her, had her phone out and was recording what was going on.
‘I don’t know whether the video has been edited at all but if it was just three seconds longer you’ll be able to see that she pushed me first before anything else and I’ve obviously gone back at her.
‘I believe this is a deliberate set up in the way that they have gone about it.
'I’m not proud about my reaction but I was defending myself and was provoked.
‘To be honest I don’t think the whole incident would’ve happened if either party hadn’t have had a drink - and I do admit that - but by no means was I drunk.
‘Both parties were kicked out of the pub, which I think speaks for itself because if it was something only we were guilty of, we’d have been the only ones asked to leave.
‘Within a couple of hours, while I am still out, I start getting calls and text messages saying that the video of the argument is now on social media.
The 36-year-old recorded the horrifying attack (pictured, the attacker) on her mobile before doormen intervened
A man, believed to be the female attacker's brother (right), can be seen wading in before the woman (left) lands a kick
‘How can something be on the Internet so quickly accusing me of being racist when not a racist word came out of my mouth?
‘I noticed that the woman who filmed the incident claims that I only said the words “she hit me first” because I’m supposedly repeating and mocking her friend but I said it because that’s what actually happened.
‘I was tagged in to that video on Facebook and today I lost my job as a recruitment consultant as a result.
‘People had been sending emails into my work saying “this person works for you, how can you keep her on?“
‘My bosses said they believe my side of what happened but they have been backed into a corner based on the accusation and have had no choice but to let me go.
‘I’ve since been trolled online and had threatening messages sent to me.’
Polish-born Ms Rutkowska, who works at an NHS care home, claimed the fight was triggered by her group speaking too loud in their native tongue.
The shocking incident happened in The Kingswood Colliers Wetherspoons in Bristol (pictured) on Saturday night
She said: 'This is what happened on our first night out to a pub.
‘Because we were speaking ''too loud in Polish'' with those people telling us ''You are in England now''.
'After which the girl attacked my friend, and then the staff asked us to leave, not bothering to ask anyone what happened.’
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: 'Police are investigating video footage of a disturbance in a pub in Kingswood (the Kingswood Colliers).
'The incident was reported to police by a third party, who doesn't know anyone involved, after they saw the footage on social media and reported it to police online on Sunday afternoon, 5 July.
'Officers spoke to pub staff on Sunday, after the report came in. Staff confirmed they asked a number of people to leave the premises after a disturbance on Saturday.
‘Police are trying to contact the woman who posted the footage on social media.
'Other enquiries are underway to identify those involved but we'd ask the people in the footage and those who posted it to come forward and give their account.‘
Police are now investigating footage of the incident which the 36-year-old recorded on her mobile before doormen intervened.
A man, believed to be the female attacker's brother, can be seen wading in before the woman lands a kick.
In the one minute, 11-second clip the unnamed woman can be heard shouting: 'She touched me first.' Ms Rutkowska says: 'I am recording it.'
The attacker's brother then said: 'You touch my sister*' before another says 'Come on the then.'
Ms Rutkowska repeats: 'You are recorded.' A doorman then says: 'If you can't get one with anyone... Did he hit you, did he?'
One of Ms Rutkowska's friends replies: 'She did.'
The woman comes back and mimics her, adding: 'Oh ''She did!'' You hit me first.'
She is then accused of being racist to which she angrily replies: 'Oh I'm racist am I?'
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