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Dressed in a black T-shirt and khaki shorts, Amos Yee cut an unassuming figure when he showed up at the Singapore State Courts on 17 April.
The 16-year-old was facing serious criminal charges - some of which he would be convicted of on 12 May. They were of wounding religious feelings, harassment and posting obscenities. But the teenager breezed past reporters, munching a banana.
This is Amos, the enfant terrible who has fascinated and infuriated Singaporeans ever since he was arrested in March over a Youtube video.
To his mother, he is just "different", a child born in the wrong place. But to many others he is seen as the boy who dared to insult Lee Kuan Yew.
Jeers and cheers
On 23 March Singapore lost Lee Kuan Yew, the deeply respected former prime minister seen as the country's founding father.
People queue up to pay their respects to the late first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, outside the Parliament House in Singapore, 27 March 2015
Singaporeans waited in queues for as long as ten hours to pay their respects to Lee as he lay in state
Days later, Yee posted his video, titled Lee Kuan Yew is Finally Dead! - becoming one of the few Singaporean voices openly criticising Lee's legacy.
He likened Lee to Jesus Christ, and criticised Christians in general, a serious crime in a country which has seen race riots in the past and takes a zero-tolerance approach towards insults of race and religion.
Later, he posted a crude cartoon depicting Lee having sex with Margaret Thatcher, a personal and political ally of Lee's.
At least 30 people lodged police reports; he was swiftly arrested and charged.
Screenshot of Amos Yee's Youtube video on Lee Kuan Yew
Amos Yee's video drew widespread condemnation, but also some praise, from Singaporeans
Since then, Yee has attracted insults and death threats.
But he has also earned praise and support from those who see him as a free speech advocate.
Several strangers stepped up to act as his defence lawyers and post bail. A local humorist started a campaign calling for leniency with a blog post titled Je Suis Amos.
Another blog detailing his quirky outfits went viral, as did jokes about "Famous Amos", referencing the US cookie brand. Dozens held a vigil on the eve of the verdict.
Image of a campaign poster calling for Amos Yee's release done by Singaporean humorist Colin Goh
Local humorist Colin Goh called for a lenient punishment for Yee with this poster
Sociologist Tan Ern Ser said some may have agreed with him but disapproved of his "show of disrespect", while others marginalised by Lee's policies were "inclined to see someone who dares to openly speak up against the system as a kind of folk hero, and worthy of praise".
'So different'
Yee's mother, Mary, told the BBC that her son was "a fantastic child, perhaps born in the wrong country".
She described him as a precocious boy who loved reading and making videos. He won awards in a short film contest and acted in a local movie.
Amos Yee ®, a 16-year-old student, and his mother leave the State courts in Singapore on 31 March 2015.
Mrs Yee (left) told the BBC that her son was just "different" and a "fantastic child"
But he cut short his studies, and in a blog described how he struggled to fit in at school, where he had few friends.
The media has seized upon the fact that Mrs Yee took her son to see a psychiatrist after he posted his video. But his mother insisted that it was just a health check, and that the test results were "fine".
Generational anxiety
Perhaps one reason Yee has become the object of deep fascination is his utter lack of remorse.
In recent years, Singapore has seen several people torn apart online for offensive posts. Faced with public fury, these people without exception have apologised, gone into hiding, or even left the country.
In contrast Yee broke bail spectacularly by not only reposting his material but also unleashing a torrent of Facebook and blog posts criticising his bail conditions. He pleaded not guilty to his charges during his trial.
Such unrepentant insouciance, and the fact that he insulted a founding father, may have tapped into a recurrent anxiety among Singaporeans that a younger generation, having known only prosperity, takes the country's stability for granted.
I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I will do my utmost to keep them alive.
Against tyrants and adversity, I will strive.
Together, a better future, we will realise...... |
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