A Cinnabon employee who was filmed hurling racist and xenophobic abuse at a Somali couple was fired, but an online fundraiser set up in her name has raised over $20,000. The confrontation took place on Friday at the Cinnabon outlet in Wisconsin. The video was posted on TikTok and showed the worker telling the black Somali Muslim couple that “I am racist” before saying the N-word to their face. She also raised both middle fingers and threatened to throw water at the woman recording.The TikTok user who shared the footage said the dispute began after she asked for more caramel on her cinnamon roll. According to the caption, the worker mocked the woman’s hijab and said: “You could see me squeezing it through that witch craft bandanah you’re wearing on the top of your head (basically referring to my hijab).”Cinnabon called the video “deeply troubling” and confirmed that the employee had been fired by the franchise owner. The company said that the behavior shown in the footage was “completely unacceptable and in no way reflect the values of Cinnabon, our franchisees, or the welcoming environment we expect for every guest and team member.” A GiveSendGo fundraiser was created shortly after the clip went viral. It said it was collecting money for the workers’ living and legal costs. It had surpassed $20,000 within two days.The Daily Mail reported that the fired Cinnabon employee is a 43-year-old mother named Crystal Wilsey from Oneida, Wisconsin. Right-wing commentators on social media claim that the Somali couple had first taunted Crystal for not wearing a hijab, which in turn provoked her.
