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Six persons, aged between 22 and 36, will be charged in court on 9 September 2026, for their involvement in various incidents at prohibited areas or participating in public assemblies and processions without a permit, and other related offences.

The details of the cases are as follows:
Procession on 2 February 2024 at Prohibited Area - Istana

• A 33-year-old woman and a 36-year-old woman will each be charged with one count of participating in a procession without a permit in a prohibited area under Section 15(2) of the Public Order Act.
  
  
• On 2 February 2024, both women participated in a procession without a permit, along the perimeter of the Istana. The group¹ had assembled along Orchard Road and walked towards the Istana, carrying umbrellas imprinted with watermelon images, a symbol of Palestinian resistance and solidarity, to showcase their support for the Palestinian cause. The Istana is a security-sensitive area and is designated as a Prohibited Area under the Public Order (Prohibited Areas) Order 2009. 
  
  
• Both women are also involved in a separate incident described in paragraph 2(f) below, and will each be charged with one additional count of organising a public assembly without a permit under Section 16(1) of the Public Order Act for the incident referred to in paragraph 2(f) below. Additionally, the 33-year-old woman was issued a stern warning on 2 September 2026 for her involvement in a banner that was hung in support of a cause at Gardens by the Bay on 15 April 2024.
  
  Event on 2 February 2024
  
  
• A 24-year-old woman will be charged with one count of knowingly committing an act prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups under Section 298A(b) of the Penal Code 1871, in relation to a chant she had made during an event that was livestreamed publicly on 2 February 2024. She was leading the chanting of the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which supports the elimination of the Jewish State of Israel.
  
  She will also be charged with two additional counts under the Public Order Act  arising from further incidents described in paragraphs 2(e) and 2(g), as well as four counts under the same Act and two counts of refusing to answer a public servant authorised to question under Section 179 of the Penal Code, arising from her participation in candlelight vigils on 22 November 2024, 29 November 2024 and 23 January 2025 to mark the executions of three convicted drug traffickers on death row, as well as a protest outside the State Courts on 3 February 2025. The State Courts is a Prohibited Area under the Public Order (Prohibited Areas) Order 2009.
  
  The 24-year-old woman had previously been issued a 12-month conditional warning on 30 November 2021 for participating in a public assembly without a permit and contravening a 'Move-on' direction by the Police under Section 16(2)(a) and Section 37 of the Public Order Act respectively, in relation to a protest held outside the Ministry of Education Headquarters on 26 January 2021. 
  
  Public Procession on 7 June 2024 – from Novena MRT to the Ministry of Home Affairs
  
  
• The 24-year-old woman mentioned in paragraph 2(d) and a 22-year-old woman will each be charged with one count of participating in a public procession without a permit under Section 16(2) of the Public Order Act, for moving from the Novena MRT vicinity to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) located at New Phoenix Park for a letter delivery on 7 June 2024. The group also issued a statement stating that they had walked towards MHA, with many of them wearing shirts that said, “There Are No Universities Left in Gaza”. 
  
  Public Assembly without a Permit on 27 October 2024 – Marina Barrage 
  
  
• The two women mentioned in paragraph 2(a), together with a 32-year-old woman and a second 33-year-old woman, will each be charged with one count of organising a public assembly without a permit under Section 16(1) of the Public Order Act. The four women had each played a role in organising a mass kite-flying event held at Marina Barrage on 27 October 2024, to publicise a cause in relation to the Gaza conflict. The 32-year-old woman will additionally be charged with one count of using abusive behaviour to a public servant under Section 6(1)(a) punishable under Section 6(3) of the Protection from Harassment Act 2014. Additionally, the second 33-year-old women has been issued a stern warning on 3 September 2026 for her involvement in an incident where a banner was hung at Gardens by the Bay on 15 April 2024. 
  
  Public Assembly without a Permit - Staged Memorial on 13 January 2025 at the National University of Singapore
  
  
• The 24-year-old woman mentioned in paragraphs 2(d) and 2(e) will be additionally charged with one count of organising a public assembly without a permit under Section 16(1)(a) of the Public Order Act. The woman was believed to have organised a public assembly without a permit in front of a building within the National University of Singapore on 13 January 2025. The group gathered multiple individuals to place shoes and a white burial shroud at the location to demonstrate opposition to the ties between educational institutions in Singapore and Israel.

The offences under the Public Order Act carry the following penalties. An offence under Section 15(1) is punishable with a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for a term of up to six months or both. An offence under Section 15(2) or Section 16 is punishable with a fine of up to $5,000. An offence under Section 298A of the Penal Code 1871 is punishable with a fine or imprisonment for a term of up to three years or both. An offence under Section 6(3) of the Protection from Harassment Act is punishable with a fine of up to $5,000.

The Police would like to remind members of the public that public assemblies in Singapore are regulated under the Public Order Act, and that organising or participating in a public assembly without a Police permit in Singapore constitutes an offence under the Act. The Police will not grant any permit for assemblies that advocate political causes of other countries or foreign entities, or may have the potential to stir emotions and lead to public order incidents. The peace and harmony between different races and religions in Singapore should not be taken for granted, and we must not let events happening externally affect the communal harmony. The Police urge members of the public not to engage in activities that will damage the peace, public order and social harmony in Singapore, and to instead participate in forums, dialogues and donation drives that have been appropriately organised on the issue.

¹In relation to the procession, three women who had organised the public procession were previously convicted for organising a public procession without a permit in a prohibited area under Section 15(1) of the Public Order Act 2009 and fined $3,000 each on 30 April 2026.

Annex – Summary of Charges Against the Six Persons