Social media sites have pulled the angry hip-hop video after authorities in Singapore warned it could stoke racial tensions. Some residents have accused officials in the wealthy Asian city-state of double standards.

Axar.az reports citing DW that Facebook, YouTube and several other social media sites have blocked access to a controversial rap video that criticizes the casting of a Chinese-origin actor to play Malay and Indian characters in a Singaporean advertisement.

The ban follows a complaint to the global tech platforms by the Asian city-state's government, which has introduced strict laws against those who sow racial divisions.

In the video, comedian Preeti Nair and her brother Subhas use several expletives to describe Singaporeans of Chinese origin — who make up three-quarters of the country's population.

Singapore's law and home minister K Shanmugan confirmed the government had asked social media sites to remove the rap, calling it "vulgar" and unacceptable." The video is now the subject of a police investigation.

Users trying to access the video on Facebook were shown a message saying that local laws prohibited the site from showing it.

Facebook rules not violated

A spokesperson for the social media giant told Reuters: "We may have to restrict access to content because it violates a law in a particular country, even though it doesn't violate our community standards."

A copy of the video on YouTube, which had attracted more than 40,000 views, carried an advisory reading, "This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government."