Dozens of people rallied in Halifax and Pictou today in support of a young man who was struck with a nail from a nail-gun.

Nhlanhla Dlamini alleges the incident happened after weeks of racist remarks.

It is a claim the man's former employer strongly denies.

“We had a little lunch break and then we went back to work,” Dlamini said. “So I was just going back to what I was doing, and next thing, he just pointed the gun at me and I just ran.”

The 21-year-old Dlamini says his lung was 25 per cent collapsed by the time he reached the hospital.

Dlamini was working for PQ Properties Ltd. of New Glasgow at the time of the incident.

Police have charged 43-year-old Shawn Wade Hynes of Trenton with one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.  The company claims it was an accident. 

Dlamini says he has confidence in the police investigation.

“The community has shown so much support and my family being by my side at all times through the hospital and all that, now we're just taking it day-by-day,” said Dlamini.

Craig Clarke, the lawyer for PQ Properties Ltd., says the company wasn't aware of any allegations of racism or harassment. He says Dlamini had not filed a complaint.

“My client takes that very seriously and wants to have a safe and healthy working environment for all his employees and so any complaints that would have been made would have been taken seriously and would have been investigated,” Clarke said.

Friday, Dlamini explained to the crowd he had only been working for a couple weeks, and wasn't comfortable speaking out. 

“For me to just go and jump right into that and say ‘oh, I have problems with so-and-so,’ I was just going to let it die out,” said Dlamini.

In Pictou, about 50 supporters rallied alongside Dlamini's mother in front of the courthouse hoping to see the charge upgraded.

“I think it's important that citizens don't just wait for the system,” said Stacey Dlamini. “We try and influence the system and make sure it's doing what it's supposed to do.”

The company has hired a consultant to review workplace conditions. Their lawyer says it's important to respect the legal process.

“It's best to give our legal system its time to do its work,” Clarke said.

In the meantime, the Dlamini family and their supporters say they'll continue to rally for what they believe is right.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau.