In a report from Channel News Asia, a mother and her son are currently under investigation for appearing in a viral video where they mentioned several racial slurs. The viral video was made in reference to another video that had similar racist content but was made in 2017.
The two could be seen defending the use of racist terms against African Americans.
Where did the video appear?
The video, which has since been taken down, showed the son and his mother uttering a lot of racial slurs against black people, notably using the an N-word and defending its use.
A video the same man made when he was 16 years old showed him repeatedly using the N-word. Perhaps in light of the Black Lives Matter protests happening all over the world, the man felt he should repost the video of his teenage exploits. In response to the public backlash of this video, he and his mother held a live session on his Instagram Stories, defending the earlier use of the N-word.
The offending Instagram Stories Live happened on June 3, and the police began their investigations when reports reached them on June 10.
What was in the racist video?
According to reports, the latest video which the man and his mother uploaded on June 3 showed them defending the older racist video.
They repeatedly said the racial slur without remorse and even challenged viewers to call the police and report their actions.
“I said the word n****. What the f*** are you going to do about it? Call the police? Call lah.”
His mother also defended the use of the word and repeated it again and again in support of her son. She called it simply a figure of speech.
“They had allegedly done so in response to viewers’ comments about a video he (the man) had made in 2016 and re-posted on his social media account, in which he had used a racial slur,” said the police in a statement.
After the Instagram live was uploaded, it found its way through shares onto Twitter, which is where it went viral.
Police respond to racist video
The police have issued a statement pertaining to the investigations, saying, “The police treat acts that can threaten racial or religious harmony in Singapore very seriously,” the authority added.
“Any person who makes remarks that can cause ill-will and hostility between the different races and religions will be dealt with swiftly and firmly.”
According to the same report, anyone found guilty of uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the racial or religious feelings of any person faces a jail term of up to three years, a fine or both.
Singaporean in US urges countrymen not to criticize Black Lives Matter movement
In a report from The Independent, a 46-year-old Singaporean in the United States has asked other Singaporeans to stop criticizing the protests despite the escalating violence and riots.
In the now-defunct Facebook post, he said that, “Unless you live and work here, and actually know black Americans’ relationships to cops, you don’t know what’s actually happening. There’s a reason why N.W.A’s Fuck Tha Police came out in 1988. I myself am still listening and learning, and I’ve been here five years,” he wrote.