‘It’s a picture of a child’ — Singaporean Indian in UK condemns racist comments online - Singapore News

16 May 2026, 01:33 · The Independent

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man living in the United Kingdom appealed for people to “STOP NORMALISING RACISM!!!” after he had received racist comments when he posted a video that included a picture of himself as a child.

Mr Abimanyu (@abirockz) explained in an Instagram video on May 14 that, because he had grown up as a minority in Singapore, while he had experienced racism, “the people I surrounded myself with didn’t make me hate my own culture or race.”

He was also comfortable with non-Indian friends who did not treat him differently, and when he went to the UK, his experience was pretty much the same.

However, when he began to post on TikTok and Instagram, he started receiving “so much hatred for the colour of my skin.

And I’m upset that it’s become so normalised and even a joke now.”

What shocked and upset him were the comments that showed up after his post that contained his photo as a child.

“Not even for a child there was empathy or care, THAT is what shocked me. It’s a picture of a child,” he wrote, adding that if he had been younger, these comments would have affected him badly.

“We should all collectively do better and address this so that the younger generation doesn’t need to grow up questioning their worth. Let’s all try to make the world a better place,” wrote Mr Abimanyu.

In the text overlays on his post, he added that at his age, he knows his worth. However, he also wondered why racism towards Indians is so normalised.

He wrote that he considers himself lucky to have grown up without social media, and in a time when racism is not as rampant as it is today.

Addressing those who posted racist comments, he wrote, “Just because you’re anonymous on the internet doesn’t mean you should spew hatred… You’re spreading hate towards another human being, not a robot. Your words do matter and can genuinely impact another person’s life.”

He also added a quote from Albert Einstein that says, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything,” and wrote that this is why he wrote the post.

In the end, he wrote that he will “always be proud to be Indian.

I love my culture, my religion, and my roots, and that’ll never change.

I wish that all those who hated me get to truly experience Indian culture and see how beautiful it truly is.” /TISG

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