In his post on Mar 13, Mr Cheng wrote about a group known as the Monday of Palestine Solidarity, whose members have been accused of disrupting PAP Meet-The-People Sessions.
“I would like to sponsor them to relocate to Gaza, expenses paid by me. But only if they never come back,” said Mr Cheng.
“I am offering business class to the leaders. And to their 928 followers , can buy them some walking shoes each. Take a slow hike.”
While speaking to reporters on Wednesday on the latest cases being handled under the Internal Security Act, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam was asked about Mr Cheng’s post.
Mr Shanmugam said that his views on Israel and Palestine are “sharply different” from those that Mr Cheng has expressed.
“Mr Calvin Cheng comments on a variety of matters – I don’t see all of them. Those that I come across: I can say some I agree with, and some I clearly disagree with,” he said.
“His views on Palestine and Israel, I can say are quite different from mine. I have a very sharply different view on Israel-Palestine from Mr Calvin Cheng.”
“I previously said in November 2023 that Israel’s actions are illegal and oppressive to Palestinians, and that remains my view,” he added.
Mr Shanmugam declined to comment further as a police report has been made against Mr Cheng over his comments on Israel and Palestine while Mr Cheng has said that he has commenced legal proceedings over accusations that have been made against him following the post.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr Cheng said that Mr Jufrie Mahmood, a former chairman of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, had filed a police report alleging that Mr Cheng is an Islamophobe.
Mr Cheng added that Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam and activist Martyn See had expressed similar views to Mr Jufrie and that The Online Citizen and a Mohamed Khair had republished these views.
Refuting allegations that have been made against him, Mr Cheng said: “I have sought legal advice from Senior Counsel and have been advised that these statements are highly defamatory of me.
“I have instructed my lawyers to write to Mohamed Khair, Jufrie Mahmood, Martyn See, Kenneth Jeyeretnam and The Online Citizen, to require them to retract the statements they have made and apologise.”
