A British Muslim woman has claimed she was stopped from entering a McDonald's because she was wearing a hijab.
In an unverified video posted on Twitter, the 19-year-old student is seen trying to enter a McDonald's restaurant in Holloway, North London, when she is stopped by a security guard.
The woman asks the security guard: "Why can't I come into McDonald's? Because I'm wearing a hijab? Can you please say it?"
The security guard says: "It is just a matter of taking it off."
The woman responds: "It's not just a matter of taking it off. I wear this for religious reasons and I'm not ashamed of it, and I will stand in line and I will get the food I want because this isn't okay."
After protesting she has not had any trouble with other local stores while wearing her hijab, a man in the McDonald's intervenes.
"You can't stop her from coming in here," he says.
The 19-year-old claims in the video it is the first time she had faced such discrimination. After being asked what she would like to order, the woman says she does not want anything and leaves the restaurant.
The woman, who asked not to be named, spoke to The Guardian about the confrontation.
“The friend I was with was shocked and scared and said it was a risky situation. When it was over, I finally realised how these situations can become dangerous. This is not a one-off thing," she said.
"I will never walk into a McDonald's again."
A McDonald's spokesperson told The Guardian it "does not have a policy in place which restricts or prevents anyone wearing a hijab, or any other religious dress, from entering".
"We welcome customers of all faiths and would like to apologise to the customer as this situation should not have taken place. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and are addressing this with the individuals involved," she added.
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