Watch the moment two buskers get into a heated argument about their favorite gig at Pitt St shopping centre

The clash between two buskers over a prime location has gone viral on social media.

A TikTok video from singer Widya Tjong, showing the confrontation between her and violinist Vasiliy Shapkin over a performance at Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall, has been viewed a whopping 2.4 million times, despite being posted just one day ago posted.

In the video, Mr Shapkin insists that Ms Tjong pack up and give him the best performance space because he had reserved it for 2pm, according to ‘rules’ of which she was not aware.

“I think you should start packing, I’ll start at 2 p.m.,” he says in the video.

‘My stuff was there. I just got in line at 2pm, wanna start packing?”

“I’m literally just getting started,” she argues.

As the argument continues, voices from onlookers can be heard protesting that Mr. Shapkin is bullying Mrs. Tjong and at one point a well-wisher even hands her $10.

Mr Shapkin said he made his claim on the spot as he had left his belongings on a nearby chair and left only briefly.

“Buskers, we negotiate with ourselves, we manage ourselves, because as you can imagine, you can’t just leave your stuff here, you can’t sit here for three hours,” he said.

Mrs Tjong said there was no one there when she started.

“Someone was already there,” Mr. Shapkin continues.

“The rules are first come, first served.”

“There are no such things as written rules,” Ms. Tjong fires back.

“Not all the rules are written down,” Mr. Shapkin replies.

‘This is so frustrating. New street musicians arrive, who think there is no one there. We don’t want to start before 2 o’clock.’

When asked why he waited for that start time, Mr Shapkin says it is the time when he can best protect himself from the sun.

Eventually, Ms. Tjong relents and Mr. Shapkin can be heard as he begins his performance.

“I broke down, I was filled with anger because I didn’t know how to stand up for myself anymore, so I gave in and left him alone,” Ms Tjong wrote.

Another audience member takes her side and tells her that she has been bullied but that she is “absolutely amazing.”

In the TikTok caption Ms Tjong said she normally wouldn’t post something like that, but today was ‘a turning point’.

‘This came from busker to busker, as a musician it’s hard enough to make it and see how a fellow musician not only doesn’t support you, but also tries to put you down. It’s the biggest disappointment and it’s the gaslighting and the threats,” she wrote.

She explained that she normally walked to the back of an H&M store, but when she arrived it was occupied.

“I decided to move to another place, but it turned out that Zara’s was empty, no one was there, no speaker or bags in sight, and I didn’t see the busker featured in this video,” she wrote.

“The time was around 1:30 p.m., I started my setup and managed to sing about six songs, and around 1:55 p.m. the video started.”

The comments were very much on her side.

“As an ex-musician who performed at that venue, you’re right!” wrote one person.

“He’s clearly trying to force you to leave, good for you and the people who intervened,” said another.

“Girl, give us your busking moments,” said another.

‘We will come by and support you.’

Meanwhile, a number of people wanted to express their displeasure to Mr Shapkin.

The backlash was so intense that he deleted his various social media accounts.

On Saturday morning, Ms. Tjong reported that she was overwhelmed by the amount of support.

“I just want to take a moment here now to thank you all for sending me love, kindness and support. I really don’t know what to say. You guys are so powerful and I really appreciate all the gestures you’ve made,” she wrote.

‘I’ll keep doing what I love to do. I don’t give up, something like this can’t make me give up on a dream. I’ve had it for 25 years, so don’t worry, I’ll still perform and perform, maybe not today, not yet.”