Singapore's social cohesion faces big test in the age of borderless viral hate speech

Prevention must play a bigger role. It’s about acting before the damage is done.

- Jaclyn L Neo

Australia has been forced to confront the realities of how online hate and violent rhetoric can spill into the real world in the wake of the attack on a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach that killed at least 15 people.

In the days that followed, social media platforms were flooded with incendiary speech targeting entire communities. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to strengthen Australia’s hate speech laws.

While the debate is unfolding in the country, the underlying challenge is hardly unique. In Singapore, where racial and religious harmony is both a lived reality and a societal red line, the online spread of hate speech poses an urgent challenge.

For decades, Singapore has carefully cultivated a culture of interreligious, interracial and intercultural peace and cooperation among its multiracial population. Racial and religious harmony has become a key lived experience, marking both a foundational pillar and a red line in our society.

However, increasing global interconnectedness and the impact of events across the world have placed a growing strain on this multicultural compact. External social divisions, ethnic hostilities and religious conflicts exert tangible influence on Singapore’s social and political life through online dissemination.

Findings from a Ministry of Digital Development and Information Perceptions of Digitalisation Survey and a Smart Nation Policy Perception Survey have observed a notable rise in violent content as well as content that incites racial or religious tension.

This trend poses a significant challenge to Singapore’s commitment to multiculturalism and racial-religious harmony. And it has required a deeper look into how our laws and society can be better equipped to tackle the problem.

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