Man Arrested for Attacking & Making Racist Remarks to Students at ECP

You would think that with Singapore’s longstanding emphasis on racial harmony, racism would be something we’d never have to contend with.

Well, spoiler alert; not quite.

Man Arrested for Attacking & Making Racist Remarks to Students at ECP

According to The Straits Times, a racist attack occurred on our shores yesterday (2 July 2021), at East Coast Park.

The perpetrator has since been arrested.

According to the news report, the victim, Mr Teo, was cycling with a friend at the park when one of the bikes experienced a flat tyre.

They proceeded to call another friend for a possible lift back home.

After loading the bicycles into a van, however, they heard a man making racist remarks.

He was staring at them.

In a bid to avoid an altercation, they camped inside the van at East Coast Park’s F2 carpark. But the man’s tirade was not only verbal.

The perpetrator went on to release air from one of the tyres, which drew Mr Teo’s attention.

Just as the latter left the van to rectify the problem, the man purportedly began to assault him.

Mr Teo was reportedly pushed, punched and kicked.

An eyewitness subsequently phoned the police.

Apparently, the man had also harassed four other people beforehand.

One of them was the aforementioned eyewitness.

“Around 1.30am, we were eating our supper at a shelter when he sat down at the next table and told us things like we should ‘go back to China’,” said Mr Chu, who’s from Singapore.

“We all kept quiet. My friends just looked at their food, while I smiled and nodded.”

It should also be noted that the man had initially appeared defiant, stating that he would wait till the police’s arrival.

After they called the police, however, he swiftly left on his motorbike.

Offence

For being a public nuisance, offenders could face a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.

For voluntarily causing hurt, offenders could face a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

For intentional harassment, offenders could face a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

Other Instances

Unfortunately, such instances aren’t exactly uncommon here, though physical attacks of a racist nature are still quite rare.

On 4 June 2021, 33-year-old Raymond Joshua was sentenced to four months and three weeks in jail for his racist actions towards a mother and daughter pair on a bus last year.

Back in July 2020, the 36-year-old victim and her mother boarded bus service 109 from the bus stop opposite Sengkang General Hospital at around 9:30pm.

Meanwhile, Joshua had drunk some liquor at his fiance’s home and was onboard the same bus.

As reported by CNA, the closed-circuit television footage (CCTV) showed that he repeatedly shifted around the seats near them and gestured with his hands towards the victim.

At around 9:45pm, Joshua said to the young woman, “You China people bring coronavirus. You China ah. You China ah. Singapore have Indian, Malay and Chinese.”

He then stood very close to her and told her that the virus started because of the Chinese, encroaching on her personal space.

The victim then pushed him away, but he responded by spitting at her after pulling down his face mask.

He turned to another passenger who sat in front of him and questioned her in Tamil: “The Chinese are disgracing us…and why are you not saying anything about it?”

She did not dare to respond and continued looking at her mobile phone.

During the incident, a commuter called the police and Joshua was soon arrested.

And in another scenario, a video of a self-proclaimed racist confronting an inter-ethnic couple went viral after it was shared on Mr Dave Parkash’s Facebook page yesterday (6 June).

Mr Parkash, a Singaporean, said he was walking with his girlfriend to their car when a man approached them and called them a disgrace.

Mr Parkash is half-Indian and half-Filipino while his girlfriend is half-Chinese and half-Thai, and the man seemed displeased that they were dating.

“I have nothing against Indians, but I think it is racist for an Indian to marry a Chinese girl.”

“I’m not saying you, I’m saying the Indian race. I’ve got nothing against you personally but I think it is racist that an Indian prey on Chinese girls. Prey, as in predatory.”

Then, as a self-employed spokesman for his race, he says that “the Chinese” are not happy with Chinese women marrying Indian men.

The argument got especially heated at one point when the man pointed at Mr Parkash’ girlfriend and said she was “disgracing him.”

Writing about the incident on his Facebook page, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said the rise in incidents involving open racism is “quite unacceptable, very worrying”.

“I don’t have the full facts, just what I see in the video. If it’s accurate — then it’s horrible. It seems like more people are finding it acceptable to make ‘in your face’ racist statements — openly,” he wrote.

“I used to believe that Singapore was moving in the right direction on racial tolerance and harmony. Based on recent events, I am not so sure anymore.”

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