Singapore has ordered social media platforms to block access to several online posts that authorities say targeted the Indian community and attempted to create racial divisions by claiming the country was being overwhelmed by Indian migrants.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said investigations found that the content most likely originated from a China-based platform before being shared across multiple websites and social media channels.
According to the ministry, the posts selectively used images and videos from Little India and religious celebrations in Pagoda Street to support claims that Singapore was becoming overcrowded with Indians.
Authorities said the content sought to undermine Singapore’s multicultural framework and racial harmony.
“Singapore firmly opposes nativism and xenophobia. Any attempt to pit one community against another here must be firmly rejected. These attacks coming from a foreign source are doubly unacceptable,” the ministry said.
The MHA, together with the Singapore Police Force, assessed that the material could amount to offences under Section 298A of Singapore’s Penal Code, which criminalises acts that knowingly promote enmity, hatred or ill-will between racial groups or undermine racial harmony.
Officials said the posts contained derogatory references to the Indian community, including the use of phrases such as “concentration of curry” while discussing the growth of Singapore’s Indian population.
Singapore Law Minister Edwin Tong defended the government’s action against the content.
“I would say any country seeking to safeguard its social cohesion would agree with us that such content is unacceptable and would take a similar stance to safeguard their own society,” Tong said.
Police have since issued disabling directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act requiring platforms including YouTube, Facebook and X to restrict access to the content.
Authorities noted that the posts were largely written in Chinese and described them as a deliberate attempt to create mistrust and hostility between communities.
“These are malicious efforts to sow discord by inciting ill-will against the Indian community in Singapore,” the MHA said.
The ministry also urged citizens to exercise caution when consuming and sharing information online.
“We urge Singaporeans to be discerning when consuming and disseminating information online, and to reject all attempts to divide our society,” it added.
Leave a Reply