KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today criticised unruliness at the #Merah169 rally, saying that police should investigate the incident that marred an otherwise uneventful protest.
The prime minister did not specify the incident in question, but was possibly referring to riot police firing water cannons at #Merah169 protesters who tried to force their way into Petaling Street despite a security cordon there.
“Was informed that the rally in KL ended peacefully except for an incident. Polis Diraja Malaysia (Royal Malaysia Police) should investigate. It should not have happened. All must abide by police instructions,” Najib wrote on Facebook today.
The Petaling Street incident was not the only clash between protesters and police, however, as #Merah169 attendees earlier charged police lines repeatedly along Jalan Bukit Bintang in an attempt to reach the Low Yat Plaza shopping mall.
Police briefly deployed their water cannon trucks at Petaling Street after #Merah169 attendees threw water bottles and stones at the officers preventing the crowd from entering the tourist spot.
Protesters began dispersing after Sungai Besar Umno chief Datuk Jamal Md Yunos failed to convince police to let the #Merah169 rally-goers into the area informally known as “Chinatown”.
The protest was also marred by sporadic outbreaks of racism, with one attendee recorded calling a reporter “Crazy Chinese pig”, among other insults.
The rally officially called Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu” rally was organised by martial arts group Pesaka and received support by several Malay groups, as well as unofficial backing from many Umno leaders.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today criticised unruliness at the #Merah169 rally and call on the police to investigate the incident in this screenshot taken from his Facebook page.
.jpg)
