In June 2021, an ex-Ngee Ann Poly lecturer accosted an interracial couple on Orchard Road and made racial slurs against them, which was widely reported throughout Singapore.
Recently, another interracial couple, comprised of an Indian man and a Chinese lady, had another terrifying encounter in Orchard Central.
Joseph (not his actual name), one of the victims, told Mothership that the pair was on the second level of the shopping center on the afternoon of December 18 when an unknown guy spit at them.
Joseph said that he and his girlfriend had just exited the Uniqlo clothing store while holding hands, when an unknown stranger allegedly spit on him as he went in the opposite direction.
The individual was a Chinese man in his mid-20s, according to Joseph, who had never seen him before.
This caught him completely off guard, and he paused in his tracks to assess the situation.
"I am accustomed to hearing ignorant microaggressions and other racist comments from someone I know slightly. However, this was the first time a random stranger had the courage to act in this manner."
Only when his girlfriend yelled "what the f*ck" did Joseph realize he was not imagining and that the man had, in fact, spit on him.
Joseph, who turned around and questioned the man whether he had just spat on him, alleged that the man then launched into a rant, yelling "you shouldn't be with a Chinese girl" and "that should be my girl."
The guy then spat at Joseph once again, waved his middle finger, and dashed into Uniqlo before fleeing.
Even though the spit did not drop on him this time, this infuriated Joseph.
As he attempted to compose himself, he recalled that taking a photo or video of the man did not occur to him at the moment, as all he could think about was whether or not he should pursue him.
He eventually opted against it and reported losing sight of the man as he down the escalator at Uniqlo.
Joseph had a range of emotions as a result of the occurrence, and he said: "I had no idea what to do. I became so angry that I shed tears."
"In addition to the racism, it was his toxic masculinity, in which he referred to a woman as an item or something to lay claim to, that upset me and left me appalled."
Joseph contacted a security officer and requested access to the film so that he could file a police report after realizing that a surveillance camera pointing in their direction had likely caught their conversation.
While the security officer denied Joseph's request, he proceeded to file a police report.
According to the report reviewed by Mothership, he filed the report at the Orchard Neighbourhood Police Centre at 3:50 p.m. that same day.
Joseph reported that the security officer phoned him later to notify him that footage of the event will be provided to the police.
An investigator also informed him that the police are now studying the surveillance tape to identify the suspect.
In response to Mothership's inquiries, a Singapore Police Force official acknowledged that a report had been filed and that investigations were continuing.
Joseph stated that he thinks his experience would serve to hold the individual accountable.
This, he argues, will not only convey a "strong and unambiguous message" to individuals that such conduct carries legal consequences, but will also prevent such occurrences from occurring again.
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