S’porean Busker Gets Punched During London Show; Netizens Suspect Hate Crime

It’s never good to hear news of Singaporeans being attacked while overseas.

On 24 July, Singaporean busker Bryan Wong, also known as “Brylights”, posted a TikTok video showing one such case.

Singaporean Busker Punched During London Street Performance

At the start of a busking session at London’s famous street performer spot Covent Garden, Mr Wong was disrupted by a bald man in a grey hoodie.

@brylights The audience was really supportive of me though so that was really nice 🥹 Missing Singapore but I’m learning a lot here 😊 #fyp #foryoupage #fypsg #foryoupagesg #sgfyp #singapore #sgarts #sg #sgtiktok #tiktoksg #tiktoksg🇸🇬 #fypsingapore #fypsingapore🇸🇬 #sgcircus #circussg #circus #sgarts #artssg #cyrwheel #buskers #sgbuskers #busking #sgbusking #sgperformingarts #performingartssg #sgartist #artistsofsg #cirque #cirquedusoleil ♬ original sound – Brylights

Like a pro, Mr Wong played it off and continued his showcase.

However, the man then returned in the middle of the show and started kicking his stuff.

The Singaporean busker asked him to leave and tried to peacefully escort him away from his performing spot, but the man escalated the situation when he punched Mr Wong in the abdomen.

The action visibly startled the crowd, and Mr Wong immediately seized ahold of the attacker’s punching arm.

However, he decided to let go soon after and continued de-escalation.

Speaking to the audience through his mic, he apologised and told them that he had to end the show prematurely. The bald man then stormed off a distance away as the video finished.

In the comments, Mr Wong said that he asked the audience whether he should continue, but the crowd energy was “very mixed.”

Due to this, he instead performed just his finale act and wrapped up the show there.

Wong Explains Reasons for Not Fighting Back

Bryan Wong then posted another video on 25 July to reply to several questions and clarify the situation.

He explained that his friends present did not see the incident as it was happening and so did not step in.

Mr Wong also suggested that the audience did not know what to do in that situation and said he didn’t blame them.

Several netizens also asked why the Singaporean busker didn’t fight back after he got punched.

He explained that as a street performer there, he was representing all the buskers in Covent Garden. As such, he felt that if he fought back, it would be a bad look for his fellow buskers.

“The punch didn’t hurt,” he added.

It wasn’t the allegedly wimpy punch or the premature end to the show that upset Mr Wong the most.

Instead, it was the reaction of the child sitting closest to the camera. When the punch happened, she flinched in shock, seemingly putting her hand to her mouth.

Mr Wong said watching that frustrated him, but he was determined not to let the situation affect him.

“I came to Covent Garden to be a better busker [and] to bring better shows back to Singapore, so I’m going to focus on that and focus on improving.”

According to his website, “Brylights” specialises in acts with the Leviwand, Hula Hoops, and the Cyr wheel, the latter being a big metal ring which performers hold onto for acrobatic showcases.

The website stated that his street show, Circles in Circus, is “a culmination of 21 years of arts experiences along with Bryan’s dreams of succeeding as a Singaporean performing artist.”

When asked about whether he was based in the United Kingdom for now, Mr Wong replied that he would only be there for “a month”, though when that month duration would end is unclear.

Netizens Speculate Anti-Asian Motivation Behind Attack

Though there was no confirmation about the motivations of the attacker, many were quick to speculate that the assault was racially motivated against Asians.

“That guy is obviously a racist white guy,” a netizen wrote.

One commenter even accused Mr Wong’s peaceful response as part of the reason why Asian people continue to be victims of racial violence in the UK.

In a sarcastic reply, Mr Wong shoved the blame firmly on the “stupidity” of the racists instead.

In 2023, a study found that 45% of East and Southeast Asian people had been subjected to at least one hate crime in the past 12 months. 26% of the community had been subjected to more than one hate crime.

Only 10% of those victims of hate crimes reported it to the police.

In 2020, a Singaporean student was attacked by a group of men in a hate crime over the pandemic.

Perhaps more famously in 2021, a 21-year-old Singaporean was attacked with a knife and rescued by a livestreamer. In this case, though, it’s unclear if the attack was racially or robbery-motivated.

So while it’s not confirmed, the attack on Mr Wong could potentially be anti-Asian in motivation. Though maybe the bald man just hated Cyr wheels.