Singaporean teen and mother being investigated for uttering racial slurs on Instagram
SINGAPORE — A 19-year-old boy and his 53-year-old mother are being investigated for allegedly uttering racial slurs and vulgarities during an Instagram live session.
The actions by the duo – who are both Malay and Singaporean – were committed with the “deliberate intent to wound the racial feelings of others”, said the police in a media release on Wednesday (10 June).
The police said they had received several reports between 3 and 5 June regarding a live Instagram session involving the duo on 3 June.
“They had allegedly done so in response to viewers’ comments about a video he had made in 2016 and re-posted on his social media account, in which he had used a racial slur,” the release said.
In a video clip of the session seen on Twitter, the pair repeatedly use a derogatory term for African-Americans while chatting with another youth. At one point, the mother defends the use of the term as just a “figure of speech”.
The clip has sparked outrage among many netizens.
Police investigations into the case are ongoing. Any person convicted of uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the racial or religious feelings of another person faces a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both.
“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,” said the police.
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