The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) says it will not permit a prtoest rally organised by anti-Berih “red shirts” to take place in Kuala Lumpur, due to safety concerns.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the rally, called the Gathering for Malay Dignity or Gathering for a United People (depending on who you ask), did not seem certain to keep to the letter of the law and remain peaceful.
“What is clear is that we won’t allow it,” Noor Rashid told The Star Online‘s Tan Sin Chow today.
The deputy IGP was not sure if any aplication had been made to the police for the rally to take place, and said he would have to check with his officers.
The “red shirt” rally on September 16 is meant to be a response to last week’s massive #BERSIH4 rally calling for electoral reform and the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The Malaysia Day counter-rally is set to be held for 12 hours in KL’s Bukit Bintang and Petaling Street districts, both predominantly ethnic Chinese sections of the city. Most of the “red shirt” movement’s supporters appear to be ethnic Malays, with at least several of its leaders also being registered UMNO members and division leaders.
Prior to #BERSIH4, red shirt supporters converged in front of KL’s Sogo shopping mall to demonstrate their martial prowess “in case they had to defend themselves”, by performing what they called “silat moves” and breaking planks and ceramic tiles with their heads and bare hands.
