Red Shirts supporters were reported to have gathered outside Dataran Maybank in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, this afternoon together with several martial arts groups.
Their leader Jamal Md Yunos, speaking to the crowd, was reported to have said: “We are here to prove that we are not just issuing empty threats. Come Nov 19, we will be wherever the yellow shirts are. We won’t let them threaten our religion and democracy.”
Bersih supporters, who wear yellow t-shirts, have been urged to gather in the streets around central Kuala Lumpur to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak as well as to press for institutional reforms.
Jamal has promised to hold a counter-rally the same day.
At today’s gathering, the martial arts groups put on a few performances and handed Jamal a flag as a sign of their support.
The gathering came after Bersih leaders reported that groups of anti-Bersih protesters had harassed Bersih road convoys in Bangi, Labuan and Tanjung Malim earlier today.
In Bangi, a group led by Jamal surrounded the convoy and refused to let them move while tearing down Bersih flags and banners, according to Star Online. Police stepped in and after a brief standoff, the Red Shirts allowed the convoy to pass.
Bersih’s steering committee said a different group wearing black shirts disrupted a Bersih convoy in Tanjung Malim.
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