Authorities in Singapore have invoked the Online Criminal Harms Act to disable 14 social media posts traced to a China-based platform, calling them a deliberate attempt to incite racial discord.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed YouTube, Facebook, and X to block access to 14 social media posts containing inflammatory content targeting the Indian community, in one of the most explicit government responses to date against what it described as a foreign-linked disinformation campaign aimed at fracturing the city-state’s multiracial society.
The Singapore Police Force issued the Disabling Directions on Saturday under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 (OCHA), a law enacted to give authorities swift powers to compel platforms to remove or restrict content that facilitates criminal activity. The directions require the platforms to take all reasonable steps to prevent Singapore users from accessing the flagged posts.
What The Content Said
Authorities said the problematic narratives began circulating last month within Chinese-language online spaces, initially framing Singapore as anxious about its cultural identity and ethnic politics. The content escalated quickly into more incendiary territory, with posts suggesting that Singapore was being “overrun” by Indians and that its multiracial policy was merely a facade to court Western approval.
Other narratives claimed that Singapore’s social stability was owed not to its multicultural framework but to its Chinese majority demographic, and that Indian politicians in Singapore would inevitably prioritise the interests of Indian immigrants. Some posts went further, characterising Singapore’s culture as fundamentally Chinese and warning that the government’s perceived distancing from China – combined with a growing Indian presence – would lead to harmful outcomes for the country.
To lend the claims visual credibility, the posts selectively used images of busy streets in Little India – likely filmed on weekends when migrant workers have their day off – and footage of Indian devotees at a religious festival on Pagoda Street. Authorities noted the content also employed derogatory language, including likening increases in the Indian population to a “concentration of curry.”
Legal Basis And Investigations
MHA assessed the posts as likely constituting an offence under Section 298A of Singapore’s Penal Code, which criminalises acts that knowingly promote enmity, hatred, or ill-will between racial or religious groups, or that are prejudicial to the maintenance of racial harmony.
Investigations indicated the content likely originated on a China-based platform before spreading to other websites and social media channels. Authorities said they observed deliberate and coordinated efforts to push the material into Singapore’s local information environment.
Singapore’s Broader Context
Singapore has long positioned its multicultural model – enshrined in law and national policy – as foundational to its stability and identity. The government has historically taken a firm line against content that threatens racial and religious harmony, including through the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act and various provisions under the Penal Code.
The OCHA, passed in 2023, added a sharper tool to that arsenal, allowing authorities to act rapidly against online content linked to criminal harm without waiting for lengthy platform review processes.
In Saturday’s statement, MHA pushed back firmly against the narratives, defending the contributions of Indian migrant workers in sectors such as construction as valued members of Singapore society.
“Singapore firmly opposes nativism and xenophobia,” the ministry said, adding that attacks originating from a foreign source were “doubly unacceptable.”
The government urged Singaporeans to be discerning consumers of online content and to reject attempts to divide the country along racial lines.
