Hunger strike for Palestine hit by online smear campaign
Published: Jul 16, 2024 4:21 PM
The QR codes displayed next to hunger striker M Mythreyar are not to seek donations but links to petitions organised by the Malaysian chapter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
“He has not asked for a single sen throughout his strike. So to the Zionist apologists, why don’t you support the BDS campaigns?” said Gegar Amerika, a Malaysian collective for Palestine, on X.
The group was responding to an apparent social media smear campaign against Mythreyar (above) who is on his seventh day of consuming only limited liquids.
Mythreyar, who has moved to various locations in downtown Kuala Lumpur, is on a protest fast against the sale of Malaysian Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) shares to a consortium that includes infrastructure investor Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).
GIP is in the process of being acquired by Blackrock, an investment giant on the radar of boycotters for Palestine, for having large investments into firms linked to the Israeli arms industry, among others.
Itu bukan QR code minta derma lah, cerdik.
Itu kempen @BdsMalaysia untuk boikot Blackrock, Caterpillar, RIMPAC dan sebagainya.
Sepanjang aksi mogok lapar, beliau tak minta sesen pun.
Daripada jadi penjilat zionis, apa kata beri sokongan kepada kempen-kempen BDS di bawah?
Besides the claims that Mythreyar was collecting funds via QR codes, there were other posts by accounts with large followings, claiming that the 46-year-old was using the money to pay for his car repairs.
This was after some social media users posted photos of Mythreyar missing from his spot and accused him of breaking his fast.
His strike has also hit political crosswinds, after gaining support from Bersatu MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who held a press conference in Parliament yesterday to express solidarity.
Determined to continue strike until Thursday
Asked about the allegations by well-wishers in the Gegar Malaysia WhatsApp group, Mythreyar said the dispute that had erupted was between the car’s owner and the mechanic.
He clarified that he had earlier helped a friend send the car to the mechanic and that he does not own the car nor does owe the mechanic money.
He also said that he is determined to continue his strike until Thursday.
Earlier, Mythreyar, who is from Tanjung Malim, Perak was put on a glucose drip after a check by a medical officer. He consumes water once every four hours.
MAHB sale to be complete in Q3
Despite his efforts, yesterday the Finance Ministry said it expects to complete the MAHB sale in the third quarter of the year.
The ministry added the sale needs to be approved by at least 90 percent of MAHB’s existing shareholders.
MAHB’s takeover offer is a commercial transaction submitted by a consortium led by two of MAHB’s current shareholders, namely Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
If the offer is accepted and agreed upon by the other MAHB shareholders, Khazanah will own 40 percent of the shares in MAHB and the EPF will acquire 30 percent ownership, while the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia) and GIP will hold another 30 percent of the shares.
Hunger strikes are a form of political protest used worldwide, some ending with starvation and death. Some protestors refuse only solids while others partake in a “dry hunger strike” where they also avoid consuming fluids.
In 2018, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who was arrested in Crimea in 2014, completed a 145-day hunger strike - one of the longest recorded.
He was demanding the release of all Ukranian political prisoners held by Russia and agreed to take oral nutritional supplements two months into the strike under the threat of force-feeding.
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