In show of Gen Z defiance, protesters stay put, lay siege to US embassy with anti-Israel chants, songs

Younger participants refused to disperse long after organisers concluded the anti-Trump protest outside the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur today, in a show of defiance towards authorities that has characterised pro-Palestine protests worldwide largely made up of the age group known as "Gen Z".

Hundreds of young protesters refused to budge even as organisers ended the event with a prayer, resulting in a standoff with members of the anti-riot Federal Reserve Unit (FRU), who formed a barricade to prevent them from crossing the police line.

Earlier, protesters were heard heckling PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim, who told them he had met US embassy officials and secured an assurance that Malaysian participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israel would be released.

"Why is your boss invitating the Zionist Trump?" shouted a protester, as a group booed Kamil, who is also Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's political secretary.

As in previous protests outside the embassy, participants were stopped from taking the protest too close to the main entrance.

Senior activists and opposition politicians who led the protests had earlier appealed to the crowd to remain calm and follow police orders, including not breaching the police line along Jalan Tun Razak.

This time, however, at least 1,000 protesters, most aged between 20 and 30, shouted slogans demanding police remove the barricade and let them pass.

Unlike the situation seen in a viral video where Wangsa Maju police chief Mohammad Lazim Ismail lost his cool when addressing a group of pro-Palestine protesters occupying the pavement in front of the embassy, police personnel today remained calm while carrying out their duties.

Protesters later split into smaller groups and gathered at road dividers and walkways, waving the Palestinian flag as motorists sounded their horns in support.

It was only by 7pm that the crowd began to disperse, although some remained outside the embassy to continue their protest into the night.

Today's gathering is the largest in recent days, after protests flared up at the same location yesterday, as calls grow for  Anwar to cancel his invitation to President Donald Trump to attend the Asean Summit on Oct 26.

Protests were also fuelled by anger over Israel's attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which also involves Malaysian activists.

Anwar has so far rejected calls to cancel the invitation, even as anger mounts over Trump's latest ceasefire plan for Gaza, which received support from Washington's Arab allies but was widely condemned by Palestinians as a new form of colonialism and a recipe for Palestinian surrender.

Anwar's government, however, has welcomed the plan.

Yesterday, a scuffle broke out as police tried to prevent protesters from gathering outside the embassy gate. Two protesters were arrested for obstructing officers from performing their duties.

Local activists and rights groups have blamed the police for the incident.

"The force used by the police was unwarranted, arising from conditions the police themselves created. Both protesters were dragged and restrained by multiple police officers, held by both arms and around the neck, before being handcuffed," said a statement by 13 organisations, including Amnesty International and Suaram.

"Other protesters who were attempting to defuse the situation were also manhandled without warning — shoved, pushed and forcibly restrained — needlessly endangering participants’ physical safety," they said, adding that police should not have blocked the pedestrian walkway outside the embassy.