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Vancouver police are investigating whether a hate crime was committed after a Turkish-speaking man said he was punched in the face after his assailant told him he was talking in a “f—ing foreign language.”

Cops recommended a charge of assault be laid against a 54-year-old Vancouver man after a conflict at the Starbucks Thursday at 4:15 p.m., said police spokesman Const. Brian Montague in an email.

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“The alleged assault apparently occurred as a result of an argument believed to have been started by some inappropriate and racial comments that were made, and the file will be reviewed by our hate-crimes investigator,” said Montague.

The suspect’s name was not released.

Dino Demir, 37, of Surrey said he was on the coffee shop’s patio so he could use Starbucks’ Wi-Fi to speak with a friend in the United Kingdom.

“I was talking without bothering anyone,” he said.

He was speaking to his friend in Turkish and said he moved to another part of the coffee shop out of respect for two other patrons sitting near him. But the reception was best on the patio, so he returned to that seat. He said two men, one older man drinking a can of beer and holding a six-pack and a second middle-aged man were talking and pointing at him, he said.