KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of protestors gathered in Malaysia’s capital on Friday afternoon (Oct 24) to rally against United States President Donald Trump’s attendance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
Trump is expected to arrive on Sunday morning for the summit and related meetings, which take place from Oct 26 to 28.
The demonstration was led by Malaysia’s biggest opposition party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and attended by pro-Palestine activists.
After Friday prayers at around 2pm, protestors gathered outside Menara Tabung Haji in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
Most of them wore black and held Palestine flags. Some held placards saying “Dump Trump” and “Trump you are not welcome”.
They then marched down Jalan Tun Razak towards the US embassy about 700m away, chanting “Get out Donald Trump” and “Free Palestine”.
The procession was led by a few dozen members of PAS’ volunteer corp Jabatan Amal, who wore maroon uniforms.
The protestors stopped near the embassy in front of dozens of police personnel, including those from the Federal Reserve Unit, which specialises in riot management.
The rally was peaceful.
Those who made speeches included PAS youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden.
“We are gathered here … to tell Donald Trump that you are not welcome in Malaysia,” he said.
“Not only are you siding with Israel … but you have sent military aid to the Zionist Israel government.”
Former parliamentarian Tian Chua, representing the activist group Secretariat of Solidarity with Palestine (SSP), also spoke. He declared the protests were partly to show that ASEAN “values humanity and independence” for Palestine.
“We must be (in) solidarity with the Palestinians in their journey. Doesn’t matter which race, religion, it’s about humanity,” said Chua, a former Member of Parliament from Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
PAS earlier told CNA it was targeting 10,000 attendees for Friday’s event.
The Islamist party acknowledged that some have lauded Trump for playing a key role in brokering the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza, but argued that the US has given “extraordinary support” to the “Zionist regime” since Trump returned to the White House.
“An exceptional amount of foreign military aid has been channelled within just a few months of Trump’s return for this term,” PAS’ spokesperson said, referring to how the Trump administration has sold Israel weapons and military equipment.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement, a key part of Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza war, went into effect on Oct 10. It remains fragile amid disputes over the pace of hostage and body exchanges and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The two-year conflict started when Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting around 250 hostages.
Israel’s devastating retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people and displaced nearly the entire population, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Besides the demonstration on Friday, at least one other anti-Trump rally is scheduled to take place.
The “Trump You’re Not Welcome in Malaysia” protest is being planned for Sunday at Ampang Park near the KLCC convention centre where the summit is held.
Various civil society and political groups including BDS Malaysia, SSP, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) and Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) are expected to take part.
Trump’s visit to Kuala Lumpur will be the first time a US president has visited Malaysia in a decade, the last being Barack Obama in 2015.
Trump attended the 2017 ASEAN Summit in the Philippines during his first term in office but skipped subsequent gatherings, raising questions about his administration’s commitment to the region.
Asked on Wednesday about the anticipated protests, Anwar said: “This is a free country. They can do it, but they cannot disrupt the organisation and the process and the security of the area.”
