Activists are on a six-day sit-in protest in Kuala Lumpur in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against the blocking of ceasefire attempts by the US. They have continued their protests despite obstructions by the police and city authorities
More than 100 Malaysians have joined a sit-in demonstration outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, in solidarity with Palestine and in response to the continued US veto to attempts for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.
The Kepung Demi Palestin or the “Siege for Palestine” demonstration is organized by the Palestine Solidarity Secretariat (SSP), a coalition of 48 groups, including political parties from both the ruling and opposition coalitions, civil society groups, and youth and student movements.
The six-day long sit-in began on the evening of Tuesday, December 26, with dozens participating in the demonstrations despite rain and obstruction by the police. According to reports, demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Bebas, bebas! Bebas Palestine” (Free, free! Free Palestine) and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” while holding flags of Palestine and Malaysia, and placards that read “US embassy is nest for terrorists.”
According to the organizers, the original plan had demonstrators holding a six-day long picket right outside the US embassy. But a blockade by the Kuala Lumpur Police prevented demonstrators from reaching the section of the road in front of the embassy.
Despite the police attempts to block the sit-in from happening, demonstrators began camping on the sidewalk of Jalan Tun Rezzak, a major avenue adjacent to the US embassy. The SSP plans to continue the demonstration until December 31.
In the face of potential police threats to dismantle the camps, on Wednesday, December 27, Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), which is also a part of the SSP, called for a huge crowd to gather in support of the demonstrators camped overnight on Tuesday.
“While the police have not allowed us to put up protest camps in the vicinity, the comrades are fighting back and continuing their stay overnight,” read a statement released by PSM on Wednesday. “We hope to get more solidarity support from fellow Malaysians, looking forward that the protest crowd will grow (sic).”
The demonstration received significant support from civil society groups and politicians across political, religious, and ethnic lines, illustrating the widespread support for the Palestinian cause in Malaysia.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the SSP demanded the right to peacefully assemble and express dissent against the US. The SSP stated that local authorities had tried to remove those camping near the embassy in the early hours of Wednesday.
“We decided to set up tents and bases for the next six days along a sidewalk at Jalan Tun Razak that does not block traffic or inconvenient pedestrians,” the SSP statement read. “However, at 3 am, we were greeted this time by enforcement officers from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) [the seat of the city administration] asking us to remove our tents and end our picket.”
The demonstrators were reportedly able to return to their sit-in camps hours later, but the threat of forced evacuation by authorities remains.
“We demand our right to peacefully assemble and show our dissent towards the US for their continued support of the apartheid activities Israel is carrying out against the Palestinian people,” the statement emphasized.
“This systemic genocide has been going on for the past 75 years and 81 days, it is time we tell America that Malaysians have had enough, and we are not going to stand idly by and watch a massacre. We will continue our picket as planned and invite everyone to join us as a show of support and solidarity towards our Muslim, Christian and Jewish Palestinian brothers and sisters,” it added.
The US remains a major impediment for a ceasefire, having vetoed all attempts in the UNSC, while it militarily and politically continues to support the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza. This is despite widespread opposition and backlash from the world over.
Since October 7, Israel has killed over 21,200 Palestinians in the besieged and blockaded territory of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, of whom over 20,900 have been killed in Gaza alone. More than two-thirds of those killed so far are women and children. Israel has also displaced more than 1.9 million of the 2.3 million population of Gaza and destroyed more than 300,000 housing units.
The US remains a major impediment for a ceasefire, having vetoed all attempts in the UNSC, while it militarily and politically continues to support the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza. This is despite widespread opposition and backlash from the world over.
Since October 7, Israel has killed over 21,200 Palestinians in the besieged and blockaded territory of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, of whom over 20,900 have been killed in Gaza alone. More than two-thirds of those killed so far are women and children. Israel has also displaced more than 1.9 million of the 2.3 million population of Gaza and destroyed more than 300,000 housing units.
Source: Peoples Dispatch
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