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Coronavirus pandemic
AsiaSoutheast Asia

‘I’m a sovereign’: Singapore woman who refused to wear face mask cites radical US movement

  • A woman who did not wear a face mask to curb the spread of Covid-19 was charged in court on Tuesday
  • She was shown on video referencing the sovereign citizen movement, in which people believe they are above the law and get to decide which rules to obey and which to ignore

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Singapore police are investigating a 40-year-old woman who refused to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and allegedly assaulted a woman during an argument with members of the public at Shunfu Mart. Photo: Twitter
TODAY
A Singapore woman who refused to wear a mask in public and proclaimed herself a “sovereign” who is above the law has left many scratching their heads over her comments, which were captured in video clips that have since gone viral.

The 40-year-old Singaporean was charged in a district court on Tuesday for several offences, including being a public nuisance and breaching circuit breaker measures such as not wearing a face mask in public on two occasions.

The police previously said that she was being investigated for assaulting a 47-year-old woman, who had advised her to wear a mask, but this was not the subject of any charges on Tuesday.

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The woman has been remanded at Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health.

In the video footage, the woman can be seen arguing with members of the public who had advised her to put on a mask.

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She can also be heard saying “the law is … you can’t tell me what to do”.

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