A 25-year-old student from NUS, Luke Levy, who held up an anti-death penalty sign during his graduation ceremony, is being investigated by the police following the lodging of a police report.
The Singapore Police Force confirmed that they received a police report regarding the incident, but stopped short of revealing who or when the report was made, according to TODAY.
Levy has posted a series of tweets documenting his actions at the graduation ceremony on 11 July.
Here is what he said on Twitter
“Gather round, folks. Here’s a story on the sign I held on stage at my graduation, calling for the abolition of the death penalty in Singapore. And how NUS tried their hardest to erase it.
Gather round, folks. Here’s a story on the sign I held on stage at my graduation, calling for the abolition of the death penalty in Singapore. And how NUS tried their hardest to erase it.
BTW, the death penalty should be abolished. It ignores how deliberate state violence and ignorance forces many into poverty and crime. It unjustly kills the poor. It is not an effective deterrent of ‘crime’. And there’s no acquittal for those found innocent after execution.
When I went up on stage, I unfolded this sign from my gown pocket. It read “Abolish the death penalty. No to state murder. End poverty, not life. Blood on your hands”. I held that sign as I walked on stage, took my on-stage photo, and left the stage, sign in hand.
It was a small act that I knew could inspire others to take similar action. To stand against violence, to fight for those disproportionately affected by the death penalty. To recognize how power drives violence. To stand in solidarity, love & empathy with everyone.
An act NUS wants to erase. NUS took down the live recording of my commencement ceremony, only to reupload it later with an edit. If you go to around 1:14:54 in this video, you’ll see the most obvious jump cut in the world, omitting my time on stage. https://youtu.be/uRxP_xRhjlU?t=4494…
In the official stage photograph (that I paid for, for my own private display), the photo studio actually took time to try and edit the words on my sign out. You can still make some words out though, thank goodness they didn’t do a good job with it.
NUS (and others) went through the EFFORT to crop the sign out. To erase the message from existence. To pretend nobody who studied there thinks this way and is taking action on this. To say ‘all is well’ by excluding something uncomfortable to their institution.
Thing is, NUS could’ve just… not acknowledged it. But by taking the EFFORT to do that, they’re trumpeting that they would silence anything that threatens their power, even if it’s a call against violence.
It makes them complicit in maintaining hierarchies of power in society. Hierarchies that neglect, that exploit, that turn people against each other, that kill. They’re an institution with state ties, after all. They dare not go against what that grants them academic power.
I gave my space on stage to Kalwant. To Norasharee. To those on death row now. To those already executed. A small, A4-sized disruption, to acknowledge that even taking the stage is a privilege built on a system of violence that oppresses many in society.
Apparently, for an institution that thrives on ideas, papers and works from their staff and students (many of whom I loved to learn with), a single sheet of paper is too extreme of a push for change for them to live with, to the point where it becomes a need to redact it.
I’d just like to end this by echoing (& tweaking) a quote from the speaker at that same ceremony, Georgette Tan. “Don’t be afraid to use your voice. Know your worth. Be strong. Stand up for yourself, and [especially] others around you.” https://youtu.be/uRxP_xRhjlU?t=1908… “
Source: Luke Levy on Twitter @AngMohSnowball
Disclaimer: The sentiments expressed in this article are reproduced for reporting purposes and are reflective of Luke Levy's opinions, they do not represent the views of Singapore Uncensored. Reader discretion is advised.