Singaporean tourist asks for help lifting his bike, gets mocked by Swiss resident with slant-eye gesture
A Singaporean livestreamer recently shared how he got a racist slant-eye gesture after asking a man in the Swiss village of Giswil for help lifting his fallen bike during his first motorcycle trip through Europe.
A Singaporean cyclist named Sukas streamed a live video on Kick platform when his motorcycle crashed on a private meadow in Obwalden, a canton in central Switzerland, according to Swiss news site 20 Minuten. Sukas questioned whether he had overlooked a no-entry sign at the beginning of the trail. Upon hearing his apology, the Swiss resident mocked him by drawing slanted eyes and expressed hope that the motorcycle was damaged.
Instead of helping Sukas, the man took pictures of both the bike and the streamer. Once the machine was back on its wheels, Sukas informed viewers that the Swiss man had behaved like a racist. The streamer, 37 years old, stated that he did not feel offended and found the man comical with his tongue out. The Swiss resident, who lives nearby, had considered the area off-limits due to the presence of the sign.
Sukas, a frequent rider in Malaysia and Thailand, had never experienced such a situation while riding in Europe. The incident garnered a polarized response across social media, with some Swiss individuals apologizing, while others suggested that Sukas should not have ridden a bike he could not lift, or that he deserved it due to Switzerland's strict rules and heavy fines.
Several social media users stated that the man's behavior was a poor representation of Switzerland and Obwalden. Swiss comedian Ahmet Bilge called the man's actions disgusting and racist in a TikTok video. Switzerland had ranked first among 100 countries in U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best Countries rankings, excelling in governance and economic development.
Sukas urged those who apologized not to do so on behalf of another individual and praised his country. Some Swiss residents in Singapore offered to buy Sukas meals and invited him to events. He intends to return to Singapore before embarking on a journey to China's Yunnan Province in December. His ultimate goal, Sukas told Mothership, is to ride from Singapore to Western Europe.
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