‘Do you think they understand Chinese?’: TikToker alleges Chinese students mocked Indians in university lift

A TikToker has spoken out about an alleged racist incident at his university, claiming a group of Chinese students made derogatory remarks while they were in a lift together.

In a video posted on July 3, user @dineshthebigbaby_ recounted the incident, saying it had ruined his day.

“It’s one thing to see racism from your own local people, but it’s another thing to be racially profiled by a f**king foreigner,” he said at the start of the video.

His clip has since amassed over 269,500 views and more than 190 comments.

‘Indians are disgusting’

The TikToker, who goes by Dinesh, said he and a fellow Singaporean Indian friend were taking the lift down during a break between lessons when a group of Chinese male international students entered.

Dinesh said the first thing he noticed was that two of the students deliberately left a “big gap” between themselves and him and his friend, even though they could have “squeezed in” more to accommodate the crowd.

He claimed that one of the students then asked the other in Mandarin: “Do you think they understand Chinese?” — a remark Dinesh repeated fluently in Mandarin in his video.

“That’s something suspicious to say in a lift full of China people,” he said, adding that he thought it was obvious they were referring to him and his friend.

As the conversation continued, Dinesh alleged that the students made derogatory remarks, describing Indians as “disgusting”, called them a “problem” and said they were “overrunning the country”.

When the lift doors opened, he alleged that he heard one of the students say in Mandarin: “Should I kick them out? They don’t even deserve to be here, should I kick them out?”.

According to Dinesh, another student replied: “Don’t say it so loudly,” before laughing.

“Do you know how disgusting it feels to be ridiculed in your own country by f**king foreigners that are here on daddy and mummy’s money?” said Dinesh.

Dinesh said he wanted to confront the students but did not because he suffers from severe anxiety. He said he started shaking the moment he began thinking about confronting them.

Afterwards, he said he kept replaying the incident in his mind, blaming himself and thinking: "Literally in front of your face... and you didn't open your mouth."

He also claimed that while one student made the remarks loudly, the others who were present did not intervene. “When you get bullied in a different language, and you don’t even understand the language, but you can see everybody’s vibe around you. That’s crazy.”

Dinesh also criticised foreigners who looked down on locals and other foreigners.

“The audacity of foreigners sh*tting on locals and other foreigners,” he said, pointing out that they too had come to Singapore to study and work.

He questioned what gave them “more rights than them to be here”, adding: “Just because you’re part of the majority race?”

He ended the video by urging those who witness similar incidents to speak up if they feel able to do so.

Takes a toll on mental health, identity as Singaporean: TikToker

Speaking to Stomp, Dinesh, a 25-year-old first-year university student who declined to name his institution, said he had reported the incident to the university’s student services.

He said university staff, whom he described as understanding, have since been in touch with him and are investigating the matter.

Dinesh added that he had spoken to several friends, including some from mainland China, who empathised with his experience.

They also told him that some people’s views are difficult to change because they have had limited interaction with other Singaporeans.

While Dinesh said he had experienced similar incidents at school before, he was encouraged that many people recognised the issue, with several also sharing their own experiences.

Although he has often been told not to take such comments to heart, he said hearing them repeatedly has affected both his mental well-being and his sense of identity as a Singaporean.

‘I feel so angry for you’: Netizens

Many netizens empathised with Dinesh and expressed outrage over what had happened.

“I feel so angry for you,” one commenter wrote, while others described the incident as “horrible” and “ridiculous”.

Several users also said they could relate to Dinesh’s anxiety, with one saying that the “shaking from adrenaline and anxiety is so real”.

Others commended him for speaking out despite his anxiety, with many describing him as “brave” for sharing his experience online.

Another complimented his Mandarin, writing: “You are articulating these so well. And your Mandarin is wow lah. Love and support from a fellow Singaporean.”

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