“Socks of God” sparks protests in Malaysia – News

Multiple accusations despite apologies

Despite the apology, the founder of KK Supermarket and his wife are facing charges. They are accused of “deliberately hurting religious feelings.” Several representatives of the Malaysian supplier are on trial for aiding and abetting.

The sold socks sparked protests among the country's Muslim majority. One branch was attacked by a Molotov cocktail. After the arson attacks, the Malaysian government warned of escalation. She called on citizens not to stir up “racial controversy.”

The government points to the relatively large Chinese minority. There have been frequent tensions in the past. “The supermarket chain affected in the current case belongs to ethnic Chinese. The supplier also has a Chinese name. “The government wants to prevent the re-emergence of tensions between different groups,” explains Martin Aldrovandi. He is SRF's Southeast Asia correspondent.

Even the King of Malaysia is taking a stand

King Sultan Ibrahim also commented on the incident. This should never happen again nor should it ever happen. Now the founder of the KK Mart chain has given him an audience. According to media reports, he warned companies to be more careful about the products they sell. But he is also said to have warned those who took advantage of the incident and incited residents. The whole thing needs to be finished as quickly as possible.

There have been no other incidents since the third attack or attempted attack on the KK Mart store. However, calls for a boycott continue. Aldrovandi suspects that “this sock scandal may not be the last such unrest in Malaysia.”