Uproar Over Solidarity Food Fest While Gaza Starves

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An NGO has deemed the three-day “solidarity” food fest held at Dataran Merdeka this weekend as appalling and out of touch, and demanded that its organisers apologise and shut it down.
Gerakan Gabungan Anti-Imperalis (Gegar) said the food festival appeared as a means for opportunists to exploit and profit from the Palestinians’ sufferings, even when the organisers or vendors may not have such intentions.
“How out of touch can you be? As we speak, Palestinians are starving in a genocide; most have reached the direct stage of starvation due to the illegal blockade of Gaza by Israel. Many have died.
“According to the organisers, only a meagre five percent of the proceeds would go to Malaysia Cinta Gaza, which means that if a profit of RM10,000 is made, only RM500 goes to Cinta Gaza.
“This RM500 would be the level of fundraising that even small groups or individuals could have done without having to profiteer off Palestinian suffering,” the group told Malaysiakini in a statement today.
Given the ongoing Israeli-enforced mass starvation, the group said even Palestinians have asked them to be thoughtful in posting visuals of food online.
‘Donate directly’
In addition, the group called the event a “gross monetisation and commercialisation” of the Gaza humanitarian crisis, and the organisers should immediately apologise and cancel the event.
Instead, Gegar said, Malaysians should donate directly to charities and groups that are helping Gaza.
“To our fellow Malaysians, we urge you to consider donating generously and directly to Cinta Gaza or other aid organisations such as Viva Palestina Malaysia, MyCare, The Sameer Project, or directly to Palestinians in Palestine and in Malaysia who require help.”
They also encouraged Malaysians to continue boycotting entities in Malaysia that are complicit in the ongoing genocide, yet continue operating without repercussions.
“Join and organise protests, strikes, and direct actions. Palestine is calling upon all of us to go out, have our voices heard and to disrupt, even if it’s at the cost of our livelihood, safety and lives.”
A promotional video for the food festival circulated on social media last night. This came after the United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification declared Gaza and its surrounding cities are currently experiencing Phase 5 famine yesterday. 
The “Malaysiaku Bersama Gaza” food festival is held by the Love Food Festival in conjunction with the Sumud Nusantara Carnival, a three-day event organised by the Malaysian Islamic Consultative Council (Mapim) and Cinta Gaza Malaysia.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is the patron of the event, as he is the patron of Sumud Nusantara.
The three-day event, from Aug 22 to 24, is supported by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Na’im Mokhtar and Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Apart from food festivals and VR programmes, the event also features other activities such as a Qunut Nazilah recitation, a special qasidah performance, and a symbolic flag-off of the Sumud Nusantara delegation for the Gaza Flotilla.
One of the carnival’s highlights is the “Himpunan & Selawat Malaysiaku Bersama Gaza” tomorrow, held at Dataran Merdeka and will be attended by Anwar.
Mapim, when contacted, told Malaysiakini that it will issue a statement in response to public ire over the food festival promotions.
‘Better ways to show solidarity’
Pejuang leader Rafique Rashid Ali, however, said that carnival organisers seem not to understand the main issue with the event itself, which he called highly insensitive, tone deaf, and vulgar.
“Gaza is starving; no food, no clean water, no hospitals, no nothing. The organisers may have good intentions, but the list of sponsors or co-organisers can actually do something better.
“The government should actually help Gaza by sending them aid, either financially or support staff, as well as creating awareness (of what’s happening in Gaza) in schools by organising cross-country debates or conferences of world leaders,” he said in a statement today.
Rafique Rashid AliWhat Gaza needs right now, he said, is world support to get Israel to stop the attacks, which will never happen with a food festival.
He further said that Malaysians are aware of the need for a peacekeeping force, made up of the world’s armies, to stop the killings, but that countries with veto power in the UN Security Council may stop the bid.
“But what choice do we have? We will never know if we do not at least lay the resolution forth.
“There are better ways to show solidarity with Gaza’s plight, and a foodie festival is definitely in bad taste.” - Mkini

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