Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
Watches from Swatch’s rainbow-themed collection were seized by Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs from the stores’ 11 outlets, The Edge reported.
The raids were conducted between May 13 and 14 after a social media post associated the colourful watches to British band Coldplay’s support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community.
Dismay over seizure
The rainbow-coloured watches belonged to Swatch’s "Pride Collection" and were confiscated from the brand's various outlets such as Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, One Utama and Sunway Pyramid, among others.
Swatch Group’s CEO Nick Hayek Jr was disappointed at the seizure and expressed that the collection was part of the brand’s advocacy for diversity and creativity, according to The Edge.
“Swatch is proud of being the canvas on the wrist for all people worldwide and many artists working with us,” he was quoted as saying.
“Swatch always promotes a positive message of joy in life. This is nothing political,” Hayek stated, while noting that rainbows show up “thousand times a year in the sky of Malaysia”.
Swatch Group has appealed for the return of the the seized timepieces, The Edge reported.
Coldplay & LGBT
Not long ago, a committee member of Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), Nasrudin Hassan, called for Coldplay's concert to be cancelled in Malaysia, according to the Malay Mail.
The band will be holding a concert in Kuala Lumpur in November 2023 and tickets had already been sold out.
The PAS leader had questioned whether Malaysia wanted to nurture a “culture of hedonism and perversion” by inviting the group to perform.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier welcomed Coldplay's concert announcement, but issues have also arisen over scalpers attempting to resell tickets for high prices.
You might be interested:
Related:
Top images via Swatch