Police report filed against fake news on “Malays are idiots” quote

Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo was the target of fake news falsely alleging she called Malays "idiots"

In a now-deleted video, Manmeet Singh, also known as The Bodyguard on TikTok, claimed that Minister Teo insulted Malays in an interview with Chinese news outlet 8World

He falsely claimed she blurted out "Malays are idiots" when asked about the progress of each race in Singapore. 8World News clarified that no such interview ever happened

Minister Teo took to her social media accounts to refute the false allegations, and also stated that she filed a police report due to the sensitivity of the falsehood

Singh was previously PE2023 candidate Tan Kin Lian's bodyguard during his campaign, as reported in an interview with Mothership

His TikTok account, which is still online, hosts several other videos criticizing various ministers as well as other political content

A wordpress site, Racistsg, also posted an article circulating the fake news. The content has since been removed and the website deleted, but not before screenshots of the post were circulated online

The false allegations were made only 2 weeks after the UK experienced its worst riots in 13 years due to fake news that stoked anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiments in the country

While many online did not believe the fake news, many felt that the falsehood had the potential to severely damage Singapore's multi-cultural social fabric

Some called for stern action to be taken, even likening the spread of such falsehoods as attacks against the nation