Duo arrested for carrying 'sensitive' placards on BlackRock at govt's pro-Palestine rally

Police detained two pro-Palestine activists at the government's pro-Palestine rally in Bukit Jalil last night for displaying placards calling on Putrajaya to cancel an agreement to bring in a company owned by controversial US fund manager BlackRock to become part of a national airports consortium.

Mythreyar Mutturamalinggam and another activist stood silently with their placards calling on the government to reject the deal involving BlackRock, only to find themselves being escorted out of the Axiata Arena indoor stadium.

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said the police told him the word "BlackRock" was "sensitive".

"I tried to asked, why even a silent protest with a placard is a crime," said Mythreyar, who had staged a week-long hunger strike last month to protest the government's plan to bring in BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) into a consortium to manage more than 30 airports nationwide.

Under the agreement, GIP will take a 30% stake in a consortium to manage Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), together with state investment company Khazanah Nasional and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), both entities under the jurisdiction of the finance ministry led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Mythreyar said he and his companion were taken to a nearby mobile police station where they were questioned.

"They told us not to use posters with the name 'BlackRock', and that it was sensitive."

MalaysiaNow is trying to contact the police for a response.

Mythreyar said the police officers gave no further explanation, but released them an hour later after taking their photographs and personal details.

Meanwhile, vocal group Palestine Solidarity Secretariat (SSP) criticised Mythreyar's arrest.

"Mythreyar is entitled to voice his views. Expressions of support for Palestine can take many forms. One of the most effective channels is the boycott of Zionist companies," said SSP spokesman Tian Chua. 

"Economic sanctions have the potential to cripple the economy of Israel and its allies. The government should act to do something that has an impact on Israel and the US."

Govt departments mobilised

The rally last night saw the mobilisation of tens of thousands of civil servants, with each department asked to send a certain number of people to fill the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.

It is understood that memos had been sent out days before the event as Anwar's government grappled with growing opposition to the deal to sell MAHB shares to GIP.

Sources in several ministries told MalaysiaNow that attendance of representatives from each government department was compulsory.

Buses were also deployed to take them to the venue, where top government leaders spoke to show Putrajaya's support for the Palestinian struggle, while praising Anwar as a champion of the Palestinian cause.

The BlackRock issue has emerged as one of Anwar's greatest challenges since his appointment to the top post, and comes against a backdrop of a perception that he is more friendly with the US and Israel, with critics citing past statements including his interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2012 which quoted him as saying that he would "support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel".

Critics and aviation experts have warned that hiring an external company to manage entry control poses a security risk, especially when it involves BlackRock, the New York-based global fund manager whose role in strengthening Israel's economy and its arms industry is well documented.