Coldplay will perform in Malaysia on Wednesday, November 22, despite backlash from conservative Muslims. However, they may have to face a "kill switch" that cancels the gig if they misbehave or do something offensive.
Earlier this month, Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching issued a ruling mandating "a kill switch that will cut off electricity during any performance if there is any unwanted incident." This is in response to the public outcry that followed the same-sex kiss between members of the 1975 at a Kuala Lumpur concert in July.
Band's Support for Palestine
Fahmi Fadzilit, Malaysia's minister of communications and digital economy, stated that the kill switch was one of the things they had gone over with the organizer of Coldplay's Kuala Lumpur event, as reported by the Guardian. Although, Fadzilit did not anticipate any difficulties to arise. He added that the prime minister also indicated that the band is highly supportive of Palestine, so they are feeling optimistic.
This week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim asked parliament, "Why should we stop a group that supports the Palestinian cause from performing?" He was questioned whether he thought the performance was acceptable given the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
When speaking to an audience in Japan, Coldplay co-founder and member Chris Martin recently made the following statement: "We don't believe in oppression, or occupation, terrorism or genocide ... You can send [love and kindness] to Gaza and Israel, you can send it to the West Bank." He also mentioned Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Coldplay worked with Palestinian band Le Trio Joubran in 2019 to write and record the song Arabesque, which appears on the album Everyday Life. This follows the band's Facebook promotion of the charity track Freedom for Palestine in 2011, the Guardian reported.
Protests From Conservative Muslims
Some conservative Muslims in Malaysia are protesting Coldplay's performance because of the band's outspoken stance in favor of the LGBTQ+ community.
The information leader for the Islamic party PAS, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, said in parliament: "This is not about whether they purely support the Palestinian cause or not but the issue of hedonism culture that they bring to our community."
In May, PAS made a social media post demanding the performance be canceled, claiming the band promoted "a culture of hedonism and perversion," and included a photo of Martin with a rainbow flag.
Concertgoers have been asked to be respectful of local customs and sensitivities by police and event producer Live Nation Malaysia.
In the days leading up to Coldplay's show in Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, conservative Muslim protesters battled with police. A banner allegedly stated, "Reject, cancel, and disband Coldplay concerts."
