Commentary: Why would a Singaporean youth identify as a white supremacist?
The appeal of white supremacy to Singaporean youth seems counterintuitive at the outset, not least because a number of white supremacist groups are anti-Asian, says RSIS’ Kalicharan Veera Singam.
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SINGAPORE: A Singaporean teenager of Chinese ethnicity was issued a restriction order by the Internal Security Department (ISD) in November 2023 for espousing white supremacist ideologies, raising concerns about far-right extremism in Singapore.
The 16-year-old, according to ISD, had not planned to carry out any attacks in Singapore. Instead, he hoped to be recruited by white supremacist groups to partake in acts of violence overseas.
White supremacy, an extreme right-wing ideology, is based on the belief that whites are racially superior and ought to be protected against perceived threats from non-whites and groups such as LGBTQ+ communities, socialists and feminists.
This marks the second case of far-right radicalisation that ISD has dealt with.
In its first case in 2020, ISD detained a Singaporean teenager for harbouring violent anti-Muslim sentiments and planning to carry out knife attacks at two mosques in Singapore. The youth, a Protestant Christian of Indian ethnicity, was inspired by the mosque shootings in Christchurch by the far-right terrorist Brenton Tarrant.
THE APPEAL OF FAR-RIGHT IDEOLOGY
The recent case of far-right radicalisation involving the Singaporean teen shows characteristics from key strands of white supremacist ideology and is concerning for a few reasons. The appeal of white supremacy seems counterintuitive at the outset, not least because a number of white supremacist groups are anti-Asian and have violently attacked individuals of East Asian descent in the West.
Nevertheless, its appeal to non-whites should not be too surprising. Some aspects of white supremacy are sufficiently broad, making them appealing to people of diverse backgrounds.
In this case, anti-Arab and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, which are some of the dominant sentiments among various far-right groups in the West, had been the draw.
Like in the West, where there has been a reported increase in far-right radicalisation among youth recently, it is possible that the Singaporean teen fell prey to radical online content put out by groups such as Proud Boys, the neo-Nazis and the Boogaloo movement.
The far-right movement in the West has been gaining steam in recent years. Far-right politics is having greater electoral traction than it used to, with racist and exclusionary beliefs being normalised as more mainstream and acceptable.
Given this backdrop, there has also been a reported problem of growing far-right radicalisation among youth in countries like the United Kingdom and Australia. Earlier in January, London’s police warned that the number of children arrested over terrorist activity is now double its 20-year average.
The far-right radicalisation of the Singaporean youth, while an oddity in the local context, fits a wider pattern.
SOME PERSPECTIVE NEEDED
While the appeal of the ideology to someone in Singapore is concerning and has to be treated seriously for its societal and security implications, some perspective is also needed. Unlike in some Western countries, Singapore does not have a broad base to whom such ideologies would appeal.
This is unlike the United States for instance, where the extreme right-wing has become increasingly more mainstream amid widening political divisions.
Singapore’s pluralistic and moderate socio-political landscape does not provide a fertile ground for far-right ideologies to take root on a large scale. Issues related to LGBTQ+ and immigration, which have riled up right-wing sentiments in the West, also remain largely depoliticised in Singapore.
The young age of 16 years of the affected youth also suggests possible naivety and ignorance being contributing factors for the radicalisation, rather than ideologically rooted animosities which adults often possess and are harder to eradicate.
Listen: How does a young person become radicalised?
The ISD also announced that the first Singaporean youth detained for far-right radicalism was released from detention after demonstrating “good behaviour” in rehabilitation. His release shows that it is possible to successfully rehabilitate and guide those who fall victim to such ideologies and reintegrate them back into society.
The two cases associated with the extreme right so far also buttress the need to watch the far-right space both abroad and in Singapore. Given the small caseload compared to other countries, it would not be possible to say if extreme right-wing ideology’s appeal has grown or will receive increased traction in Singapore as yet.
However, the fact that Singapore has a second case means that this space needs continued attention, awareness and timely intervention to prevent untoward incidents. It also demonstrates the importance of support networks such as schools, family and friends to guide susceptible youth on their internet use, make sense of complex issues, and where necessary, help rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society.
Kalicharan Veera Singam is a Senior Analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
