Singapore blocks 14 ‘malicious anti-Indian’ social media posts

 The republic's home ministry said police acted to curb content circulating on YouTube, Facebook and X believed to originate from a China-based platform.

The posts selectively used images and footage of crowded streets in Little India and of Indian devotees at a religious festival in Pagoda Street, Singapore’s home ministry said. (Wikipedia pic)

SINGAPORE:

Authorities have blocked access to 14 social media posts described as “malicious efforts to sow discord by inciting ill-will against the Indian community in Singapore”, the home ministry announced.

The posts suggested that Singapore was being overrun by Indians, the ministry said. The content selectively used images and footage of crowded streets in Little India and of Indian devotees at a religious festival in Pagoda Street to back claims that the republic is “overcrowded” with Indians.

The ministry said Singapore police acted under the Online Criminal Harms Act to curb content circulating on YouTube, Facebook and X that targets the Indian community and undermines the republic’s model of multiculturalism.

The order requires the social media platforms to take all reasonable steps to disable access by Singapore users to these posts, it said.

“Investigations revealed that the origin of the content was likely to be a China-based platform, subsequently carried on other platforms and websites. These are malicious efforts to sow discord by inciting ill-will against the Indian community in Singapore,” it said.

The ministry said the posts were likely to constitute a criminal offence for knowingly promoting feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different racial groups or committing an act prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups in Singapore.

The ministry said Singapore firmly opposes nativism and xenophobia, and any attempt to pit one community against another must be strongly rejected. - FMT