Activists in Malaysia organized the “Blockade for Palestine” outside the US Embassy in response to the US’ continued support of Israel’s war crimes

January 04, 2024 by Peoples Dispatch

Hundreds of people participated in a sit-in demonstration outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from December 26 to 31, in solidarity with Palestine and in response to the continued US veto of United Nations resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

The Kepung Demi Palestin or the “Blockade for Palestine” (also called Siege for Palestine) demonstration was 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.

Participants braved rain and police obstruction and held the sit-in for six days, chanting slogans such as “Bebas, bebas! Bebas Palestine” (Free, free! Free Palestine) and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. The sit-in was adorned with Palestinian and Malaysian flags, and placards that read “US embassy is a nest for terrorists.”

On January 2, the Malaysian government expressed support for South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for crimes of genocide against Palestinian people in Gaza, calling it a “timely and tangible step towards legal accountability for Israel’s atrocities”.

To understand the solidarity of the Malaysian people with Palestine, exemplified in these actions on the international stage and in Kuala Lumpur, Peoples Dispatch spoke to Tian Chua, a social activist and the Spokesperson for the SSP in the capital about the “Blockade for Palestine”. Chua was also the vice president of the People’s Justice Party and an MP for 10 years.

Peoples Dispatch: Can you talk about the recent Palestine solidarity action in Kuala Lumpur?

Tian Chua: The campaign was a response to the senseless killing of innocent lives in Palestine especially targeting Gaza. The campaign called “Kepung Demi Palestin” (Blockade for Palestine) lasted 7 days, from December 26-31. The idea was to launch a (‘mock’) blockade on the US embassy. The activists also set up tents to stay on the picket line. The tents also symbolically depict the conditions of Palestinians living in refugee camps.

On the 26th, we gathered at the building of Tabung Haji at about 10 in the evening.. Representatives from various groups made some speeches and at 11pm we started marching toward the US embassy. We were blocked from advancing to the front entrance of the embassy by the police. The police held a barricade line about 300 meters away from the embassy building. We decided to stay put and started setting up our tents in front of a multi-storey carpark building. However, the city council objected and threatened to dismantle the tents forcefully. To avert confrontation, we agreed to dismantle the tents (our fight was not with the local authorities) and we slept in the open air for the first night.

The next day, we sent an appeal to the Minister of Federal Territories and the Mayor. The City Council argued that our presence would threaten public security and disturb traffic, as well as potentially cause diplomatic tension. However, the minister instructed the City Council to search for an alternative location near the embassy if the Mayor felt the current location was not suitable for our protest. Meanwhile, she instructed, our tents and the picket should not be disturbed.

In the evening, some artists and writers came to present some poetry recitals, songs etc. Every night, the activists also made speeches [and engaged in] discussions etc from 8pm until midnight.

On the 28th, the City Council tried to suggest a few alternative places, but was rejected by the protester as the distance was too far from the embassy. In the afternoon, the land owner (who is a CEO of a big corporation) of the parking station came to visit us and expressed his support. He immediately gave his consent for us to fully utilize his land. He opened up the rest of the parking space and allowed us to conduct activities on the land. With this development, our picket location is legally beyond the City Council’s jurisdiction.

On Thursday night (Malam Jumaat), in accordance with Muslim tradition in Malaysia, we organized a prayer session and held some religious talks.

On the 29th, women’s groups mobilized after the Friday prayer. They marched a short distance from the nearby mosque. They brought placards and banners highlighting the plight of mothers and children. The picket was also visited by the Education Minister who expressed her support and government stand on Palestine. As usual, there was more song and music in the evening.

During the day on the 30th, our activities included painting banners, putting up banners, and Palestinian flags along the roads etc. Our camp was visited by members of the public frequently. It was an opportunity to interact with [them] and raise awareness. There were also many young people and university students who came to volunteer their services. In the evening there was a Palestinian Cultural Night.

On the 31st, with the countdown to the new year, we read out our Declaration of Action.

PD: Who organized the action and who was involved?

TC: Since Oct 7, I have been very agitated with the escalation of violence. As the Zionist regime unleashed its genocidal military forces against innocent people and the death toll kept climbing everyday, I joined up with many organizations and movements with identical concerns. In general, Malaysian sympathy for Palestine is quite high. When I started discussing with other activists, we felt that Malaysian mass mobilization for Palestine was relatively mild. Since Day 1, there have been sporadic demonstrations, gatherings by various groups. However, the mobilization tended to reflect our domestic sectarian political landscape.

Being a partyless activist, I was able to join actions across the political divide (as well as religious). A few of my activist comrades such as Hishamuddin Rais, Maria Chin (ex-chair of BERSIH) agreed and we started to meet with different organizations, parties etc. with the purpose of creating a united front on the Palestinian cause.

About 2 weeks before Christmas, I started contemplating the idea of holding a “blockade” of the US embassy…many friends and comrades agreed. We approached some students and sought their help.

On the evening of the 21st, a meeting was held, attended by university student groups, religious NGOs, youth wing of various political parties etc. I chaired the meeting and presented the idea of “Blockade US Embassy” which received overwhelming support. We gave 2 days for all the groups to return to their leadership for endorsement. At the end, about 65 organizations agreed to endorse. The list includes parties from the ruling coalition and the opposition bloc. To be fair, among all the parties, the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) and the Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) were the most active in participating in the organizing work.

PD: What has been the history of the Palestine Solidarity Secretariat? Who are the spokespersons?

TC: The Secretariat was set up specifically for this action, which was only conceived less than a week before Christmas. There was no formal structure created except the division of tasks for the “blockade”. It is just a command center for direct action. All the endorsing groups agreed that I should be the spokesperson.

PD: What sectors of Malaysian society are aware of what is happening in Palestine? What sectors are sympathetic and what sectors are active in solidarity? What is the basis of this sympathy and solidarity?

TC: Generally, Malaysian society is mostly supportive of the Palestinian struggle for a sovereign statehood, however there are gaps in ethnic composition. Undeniably among the Muslim/Malay constituency, the issue is appealing to them emotionally. The non-Malay and the non-Muslim can be quite indifferent. Nevertheless, the recent intensification of the massacre has swung the public opinion to be increasingly more sympathetic.

Unfortunately, a large majority of the public (either supportive or indifferent) have very little understanding. Many have uncritically adopted distorted information on Palestine.

Part of the objective of our action was also to raise awareness (even among those who support) that the issue transcends religious and national boundaries. We also showed the issues can cut across the hostility between the ‘left’/’secular’/’liberal’ and the Islamic groups.

PD: What plans are there for further actions?

TC: There will be more mobilization centered at pressuring the US. We will work on creating a broader coalition instead of just formalizing the structure of the Sekretariat Solidariti Palestin. Some groups announced they want to organize a One Million People March. All these will be discussed in the next few weeks.

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This article first appeared here: https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/01/04/malaysia-stands-up-for-palestine/