Singapore blocks online posts targeting Indian community

Authorities in Singapore directed major social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and X on Saturday to block access to content targeting the Indian community and undermining the country’s model of multiculturalism. In New Delhi, the High Commission of Singapore in India on Saturday announced their government ordered social media sites to block content which targeted Indian community. The High Commission noted that the content likely originated from China. In a Facebook post on Saturday Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said that it was “unacceptable” that these overseas videos attack one community and seek to divide the country on racial lines. We have to and will take firm action. MHA has taken such action.”
As per a statement by the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs, under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023, the Singapore Police Force has issued Disabling Directions to deal with content circulating on YouTube, Facebook and X, which target the Indian community and undermine Singapore's model of multiculturalism. The directions require the platforms to take all reasonable steps to disable access by Singapore users to these posts. , it noted that posts began circulating online last month “in the Chinese information space that [suggested] Singapore is displaying anxiety over our cultural identity and ethnic politics”. This was followed by online content with “inflammatory narratives about Singapore’s cultural diversity and suggesting that Singapore was being overrun by Indians”.
Singapore’s second minister for home affairs, Edwin Tong, told reporters that “from what we know so far, the content originated from overseas”. The home ministry further said these social media posts suggested that ethnic Indian politicians in Singapore, “whose numbers are growing, would act in favour of Indian immigrants”, and that 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”. The Singapore government does not tolerate narratives seeking to undermine the country’s racial harmony, “especially when it is propagated by foreigners”, Tong said.

The content also said that with Singapore’s culture being fundamentally Chinese, the Government’s approach of “decoupling” itself from China while neglecting the threat of a growing Indian community would lead to a negative outcome.