Malaysian teens’ pro-Palestinian rally on Roblox goes viral amid censorship concerns: ‘things are changing’
- The online rally drew mostly youngsters, with users’ avatars congregating on a virtual field while holding Malaysian and Palestinian flags
- Many thanked the rally organiser for giving them a space to show their support, as online platforms show signs of cracking down on pro-Palestinian content
A virtual pro-Palestinian rally by Malaysian youngsters on online gaming platform Roblox has gone viral, as increasing censorship of content supporting the Palestinian cause sparks concern among the public and government.
Clips of the Roblox gameplay, shared across social media platforms – particularly TikTok – showed users’ avatars congregating on a virtual field while holding the Palestinian and Malaysian flags.
Most of the participants appeared to be Malaysian youngsters, with people from as far as the Middle East, Europe and United States tuning into the unique show of solidarity from Southeast Asia as Gaza endures a third week of bombardment by Israeli forces.
“Things are changing when kids are protesting on Roblox,” said Nuha, an Egyptian-American TikTok content creator who has more than 1 million followers on the platform.
The two-hour virtual rally – streamed live on TikTok – is the first in Malaysia since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israelis, most of them civilians.
