‘Fragile’, a song with over 33 million views on YouTube, was taken down from China’s streaming platforms. The makers, Malaysian rapper Namewee and Australian singer Kimberly Chen, their accounts, too, were blocked from the country’s social media site, Weibo.

Namewee’s song made several veiled references to China’s human rights violation. The song poked fun at China’s keyboard warriors, ‘little pinks’. The term is used for nationalist youngsters who sit behind a computer and defend their country online.

A state-run newspaper, Global Times, dubbed the song “insulting” and “malicious”, released to the “displeasure of Chinese netizens”.

Why is China unhappy?

In the beginning, the song starts with a sentimental melody, showing pink-coloured sets along with a dancing panda, featuring Namewee and Kimberly.

The song gives a warning: ‘Please be cautious if you’re a fragile pink’. It also contains various mentions of the ‘pink’ and their ‘fragile self-esteem’.

It further goes on to take a dig at China’s keyboard warriors with the lyric – “You say NMSL to me when you get angry.”

NMSL is an acronym for offensive internet slang, “ni ma si le” translates to “hope your mother dies”.

The song also uses the term ‘Pooh’. It is a Disney character that is often used by internet users to target President Xi Jinping.

The music video also goes on to show the panda cooking a ‘bat soup’ – a veiled reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Desiring for dogs, cats, bats and civets…” reads one of the lyrics.

Human rights violation references

This is how the song goes: “It is illegal to breach Firewall. You’ll be missed if the Pooh discovers it“. The ‘Great Firewall of China’ is a popular term that refers to China’s law to regulate its citizens’ internet usage.

‘Fragile’ hints at human rights violations of ethnic minorities in China (Uighurs). “Carrying cotton and collecting his favourite honey,” one of the lyrics reads.

In the past, media houses like BBC, The Guardian have reported about the atrocities committed on ethnic minorities. In reply, the Chinese government discredited the claims.

In one of the scenes, Namewee sings “Swallow the Apple, cut off Pineapple,” while juggling an apple.

It could be counted as a veiled reference to China’s crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily. As for pineapple, China had put a ban on pineapples from Taiwan.

The singers’ response to China’s actions.

“There are many races in Malaysia and I am categorised as Chinese. So, when people say you’re insulting Chinese people, I say – are you saying I am insulting myself? It’s unfair to say “Chinese” can only refer to China’s Communist Party or to the Chinese state,” Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, told BBC in an interview.

“If some are offended, it means they are the people described in my song. The ban has now become part of my creative work,” he added.