We came across an intriguing post on X claiming that Sir Cliff Richard and his band were banned from entering Singapore under the “Operation Snip Snip” policy. This policy, aimed at curbing hippie culture, allegedly barred them because they refused to cut their long hair.

Who is Sir Cliff Richard?

Sir Cliff Richard is a legendary British singer and actor, best known for his 1958 rock and roll hit Move It and films such as The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, both released in the early 1960s.

Often dubbed the “UK’s Elvis Presley,” Sir Cliff and his band, The Shadows, dominated the British music scene from the late 1950s to the early 1960s before The Beatles, another popular English rock band, rose to fame. They had fans worldwide, including in Asia, where their music was widely popular. In 1961, Sir Cliff and The Shadows even performed in Singapore at the now-demolished Happy World Stadium.

With a music career spanning over 60 years, Sir Cliff recently announced a 2025 tour to celebrate his 85^thbirthday. The tour includes performances in Australia and New Zealand before he returns to the UK.

What is Operation Snip Snip?

In the 1960s, the ‘hippie’ movement began gaining followers around the world. Originating in the U.S., it emerged as a rejection of mainstream American society, which its adherents viewed as materialistic and repressive.

As a result, hippies embraced a distinct lifestyle characterised by communal living, vegetarian diets, and holistic medicine. They were also known for their distinctive fashion, often wearing flowing clothing in vibrant, psychedelic colours. Long hair was a common feature among both men and women, with many men growing out their hair and beards as a symbol of their countercultural identity.

The hippie movement also embraced the use of recreational hallucinogenic drugs, such as marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), viewing them as a means of expanding consciousness and achieving spiritual enlightenment.

The hippie culture reached Singapore in the late 1960s, spreading largely through music. Local bands began adopting hippie fashion, incorporating flower motifs into their outfits, while male musicians grew their hair long. During this period, there was also a rise in the use of illegal drugs, such as cannabis, among young people and students.

The Singaporean government viewed the hippie movement as closely linked to drug use. In an effort to curb its influence, the government implemented a ban in April 1970, prohibiting foreigners who resembled hippies from entering the country to prevent what it saw as a threat to the social environment. Additionally, the government also began cracking down on local expressions of the movement. In June 1970, it imposed a ban on long-haired male performers, prohibiting them from appearing on any locally recorded television programs.

These measures escalated in 1972 with the launch of Operation Snip Snip, a government campaign targeting men with long hair. The government aimed to combat what it saw as a symbol of the hippie movement, believing that by focusing on and criticising long hair—an important marker for many hippies—it could deter young people who were simply following a fashion trend from becoming involved in what it considered a harmful lifestyle.

Under this policy, immigration rules were tightened to deny entry to all long-haired men unless they agreed to a haircut. Singaporean males with long hair were allowed to enter the country but had to surrender their passports and could only retrieve them after trimming their hair. Sir Cliff and his band, who were scheduled to perform in Singapore in 1972, refused to cut their long hair and were consequently denied entry into the country.

Therefore, it is true that Sir Cliff Richard and his band were effectively banned from entering Singapore in 1972 under Operation Snip Snip.

Evolving trends and policies

As circumstances and societal trends evolved in Singapore, Operation Snip Snip was eased in the late 1980s. By that time, the hippie movement had faded from mainstream culture, and long hair was no longer exclusively associated with it. This shift in attitudes reflected broader changes in society, where individual expression became more accepted.

Sir Cliff Richard, once caught amid this cultural clash, has since returned to perform in Singapore, with a notable performance in 2013 at the Marina Bay Sands Grand Theatre. This evolution underscores how societal norms and perspectives change over time, impacting the way information and events are understood in a broader context.