A walk for a breath of fresh air amidst the pandemic lockdown proved to be a shocker for a mother and child recently when she was yelled at by an irate man for not having her baby wear a face mask in Singapore.
The woman, who is an Indian settled in Singapore, had taken her baby for a walk in the morning at Bedok Reservoir, when she was approached by a man who asked her why the baby was not wearing a mask.
When she said that her baby was permitted to move without a mask, the man berated her by making racist comments about her Indian background and then began to take photos of her and the baby, even as she continued to protest against his actions.
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The elderly stranger yelled “You Indians don’t follow the rules.”When you Indians come to Singapore, follow Singapore rules and not Indian ones.”
The woman returned home and complained to the police as she was worried about the man’s taking photos of her and the baby.
Describing Singapore as her country and home, the woman deplored the man’s racist attitude towards her. The police stated that they were investigating the woman’s complaint.
Cases of racism incidents have been on the rise in Singapore during the pandemic where one video went viral about an Indian family being shouted at by a man to not spread the Coronavirus.
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while another incident witnessed an Indian woman being kicked on her chest and racially insulted for not wearing a mask during her walk.
Police have registered offences — like public nuisance, wounding the racial feelings of others, and voluntarily causing hurt— against the men involved in the incidents.
Highlighting the stress of the pandemic on people affected by the lockdown, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently said that this did not mean people could be racist and physically abusive to others, especially those from another community like Indians. (AW)
