Issuance of Disabling Directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act to deal with social media content containing problematic narratives about the Indian community in Singapore

1. The Singapore Police Force (“SPF”) has issued Disabling Directions (“DD”) under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 (“OCHA”) to deal with content circulating on YouTube, Facebook and X, which target the Indian community and undermine Singapore’s model of multiculturalism. The DD requires the platforms to take all reasonable steps to disable access by Singapore users to these posts.

2. Last month, narratives started circulating online in the Chinese information space that Singapore is displaying anxiety over our cultural identity and ethnic politics. Shortly thereafter, online content emerged containing inflammatory narratives about Singapore’s cultural diversity and suggesting that Singapore was being overrun by Indians. These narratives included:

(a) Singapore’s multiracial policy is a façade meant to appeal to Western values;

(b) Singapore’s stability cannot be attributed to its multiracial policy, but to its majority Chinese demographics;

(c) Ethnic Indian politicians in Singapore, whose numbers are growing, would act in favour of Indian immigrants; and

(d) Singapore’s culture is fundamentally Chinese, and the government’s approach of “decoupling” itself from China while neglecting the threat of a growing Indian community would lead to a negative outcome.

3. The content also selectively used images and footage of crowded streets along Little India (likely taken on a weekend when migrant workers spend their day off) and Indian devotees at a religious festival along Pagoda Street, to back claims that Singapore is “overcrowded” with Indians. They also used derogatory and demeaning language to refer to the Indian community in Singapore, for example, comparing increases in their numbers to “concentration of curry”.

4. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the SPF have assessed that the posts are likely to constitute an offence under Section 298A of the Penal Code 1871, for knowingly promoting feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups on grounds of race, or committing an act prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups in Singapore. We have thus issued disabling directions under OCHA to block access to 14 posts.

5. Investigations revealed that the content likely originated from a China-based platform and was subsequently carried on other platforms and websites. We have also observed deliberate efforts to spread more such content in our local information space. These are malicious efforts to sow discord by inciting ill-will against the Indian community in Singapore. This includes Indian migrant workers in sectors such as construction who are here to make an honest living. They contribute to Singapore’s growth and development, and are valued members of our society.

6. 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 Government takes a serious view of threats to our social cohesion and racial harmony, including from external actors, and will act resolutely against them. We urge Singaporeans to be discerning when consuming and disseminating information online, and to reject all attempts to divide our society.