Singapore blocks 14 social media posts targeting Indian community under Online Criminal Harms Act

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has issued Disabling Directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 (OCHA) to Google, Meta and X, requiring the platforms to disable access by Singapore users to 14 posts that MHA has assessed as carrying inflammatory narratives about the Indian community.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the action on 6 June 2026, stating that the posts were assessed as likely constituting an offence under Section 298A of the Penal Code 1871, which prohibits knowingly promoting feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups on grounds of race.

According to MHA, the content is assessed as having originated from a China-based platform before spreading to YouTube, Facebook and X.

Origins and content of the posts

MHA stated that the narratives began circulating last month in the Chinese information space, initially framing Singapore as displaying anxiety over its cultural identity and ethnic politics, before escalating into explicit inflammatory claims.

According to MHA, the posts advanced several specific arguments. They alleged that Singapore's multiracial policy is a facade designed to appeal to Western values, and that Singapore's stability derives from its Chinese majority demographic rather than its multicultural framework.

Further claims in the posts, as described by MHA, asserted that ethnic Indian politicians in Singapore, described as growing in number, would act in favour of Indian immigrants. The posts also characterised Singapore's culture as fundamentally Chinese, arguing that the government's posture of distancing itself from China while ignoring what the content described as a growing Indian community would lead to negative outcomes.

MHA stated that the posts used selectively chosen images and footage of crowded streets in Little India — which MHA assessed were likely filmed on weekends when migrant workers spend their days off — and footage of Indian devotees at a religious festival along Pagoda Street, to support claims that Singapore was being overrun by Indians.

MHA noted that the posts also used derogatory language to refer to the Indian community, including comparisons of increases in their numbers to a "concentration of curry."

No evidence of coordinated state campaign

Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong, speaking to reporters in a doorstop session on 6 June 2026, said there is currently no evidence to suggest the content forms part of a coordinated campaign by any government.

"Based on our investigations, the content originates from the infospace — they are likely generated organically by various foreign netizens," Tong said.

Tong said that investigations had nonetheless identified what he described as deliberate efforts to spread further such content within Singapore's local information space, characterising these as "malicious efforts to sow discord by inciting ill-will against the Indian community."

He added that the government's priority at this stage is to take down the posts, but said it would not hesitate to take further measures if similar content continues to proliferate.

Ministers condemn posts as attempt to divide Singaporeans

Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo also denounced the content on 6 June 2026, stating at the Jalan Besar Family Sports Carnival that the posts "do not reflect the views of Singaporeans."

Speaking separately in a media doorstop on the same day, Teo warned that the targeting of one community was not an isolated act. "Today they target the Indians and they pit the Chinese against them. Tomorrow, it will be other races, other communities. We must not allow that," she said.

In a Facebook post published on 6 June 2026, Teo wrote that it is "not by accident" that places of worship across different religions are within walking distance of one another in Singapore.

She argued that Singapore's multiculturalism is embedded in daily interactions, education and public institutions, and may be difficult to grasp for those from more monocultural settings where identity is expected to be singular and one-dimensional.

"Singaporeans, by contrast, have always been accustomed to moving between different cultural worlds. It is part of who we are," Teo wrote.

Government's legal and policy position

MHA stated that the government firmly opposes nativism and xenophobia, and that any attempt to pit communities against one another must be firmly rejected. MHA described the foreign origin of the content as making the attacks doubly unacceptable.

Tong said the content "attacks our multi-racial society and tries to divide people based on race," adding that every community in Singapore is valued and has an equal place.

MHA stated that Indian migrant workers in sectors such as construction are contributors to Singapore's growth and development, and described them as valued members of society.

Calls for public vigilance

Teo called on members of the public who had seen the content to avoid sharing it further, and urged greater interaction and trust among members of different racial groups and faiths in everyday life.

Tong, responding to a question about whether publicising the action might inadvertently amplify the content's reach, said the government's concern extends beyond the traction of individual posts to the broader threat such content poses to social cohesion.

"It's not just about traction; it's about the fact that these videos may seek to undermine the cohesion we have, and they divide us. Something has to be done about it, especially when they originate from a foreign source," Tong said.

MHA urged Singaporeans to reject all attempts to divide society and to be discerning when disseminating information online.