calvin cheng vivian balakrishnan

**Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan denies ‘liking’ controversial Gaza post**

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, has publicly denied allegations that he “liked” a Facebook post made by former nominated member of parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng. This post suggested relocating pro-Palestine activists to Gaza. Following these accusations, Balakrishnan stated that he has taken steps to enhance the security of his Facebook account, citing concerns over unauthorized activity.

On the night of April 2, 2025, Balakrishnan clarified on Facebook that he does not share the views expressed by Cheng. Cheng’s original post, made on March 13, proposed sponsoring the relocation of members from the local activist group Monday of Palestine Solidarity to Gaza, contingent upon their agreement to not return. This statement has been met with significant backlash, prompting an opposition politician to file a police report against Cheng.

The context of Cheng’s remarks includes incidents where pro-Palestinian activists disrupted meet-the-people sessions, which are regular events in Singapore where residents can engage with their elected representatives. Additionally, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam shared a video of his encounter with two activists during one of these sessions, where they were seen making derogatory gestures and labeling him a coward.

**Reading Time: 2 minutes**

*Published: 10:31am, 2 Apr 2025 | Updated: 4:25pm, 2 Apr 2025*


*Author: [Jean Iau](https://www.scmp.com/author/jean-iau)*

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**Vivian Balakrishnan Denies ‘Liking’ Controversial Facebook Post; Meta Launches Investigation**

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is currently investigating unauthorized activity on the Facebook page of Singapore’s Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan. This inquiry follows the discovery that the minister’s account had “liked” a post by former Nominated Member of Parliament, Calvin Cheng. The post, dated March 13, suggested relocating a group of activists to Gaza, with the stipulation that they would not return.

On April 2, Balakrishnan’s press secretary confirmed that a report had been filed with Meta regarding this unauthorized activity. The press secretary stated, “Meta is investigating.” In a subsequent post, Balakrishnan clarified that he did not “like” the post in question and expressed that he does not share Cheng’s views. He also mentioned that he has taken steps to enhance the security of his account.

Cheng’s original post proposed sponsoring members of the Monday of Palestine Solidarity group to travel to Gaza, offering business class tickets for leaders and suggesting that their followers could receive walking shoes for the journey. The post has garnered significant attention, accumulating 1,100 reactions and 770 comments by April 2. Although the “like” from Balakrishnan’s account is no longer visible, evidence of the action was captured in a screen recording shared on Instagram.

Additionally, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Digital Development and Information, Tan Kiat How, also “liked” Cheng’s post but later stated that it was an accidental action. He retracted his “like” after being questioned by the Monday of Palestine Solidarity group on Instagram.

In a related development, Cheng announced on April 2 that he plans to pursue legal action against several individuals for defamatory statements made about him. This includes a police report filed by former Singapore Democratic Party chairman Jufrie Mahmood, who described Cheng as a “danger to our precious racial and religious harmony.” The police report alleges that Cheng’s post posed a threat to individuals opposing the ongoing conflict, implying that a one-way trip to Gaza would result in death.

Cheng defended his post as a response to the actions of the activists from the Monday of Palestine Solidarity group, specifically targeting those who attended a Meet-the-People session hosted by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam on March 12.

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