Cassel Krishnan said that a “small, irrelevant faction, not native to Melaka”, had blatantly disregarded local sensitivities.

“This recent incident is a flagrant breach of basic respect and decency,” the Melaka DAP Youth chief said in a statement.

He said all religious groups, regardless of their beliefs, must refrain from any action that could be perceived as being provocative or disruptive to interfaith harmony.

“Respect and tolerance are not optional – they are imperative,” Krishnan said, adding that churches and Christian groups in Melaka had always been prudent and wise when conducting their activities in public.

A 16-second video, currently making its rounds on social media, shows a small group of people sitting or standing near a book trolley with a sign saying “Free Bible Course” next to a surau.

Last night, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism hit out at the group saying their actions were “very wrong”.

The interfaith council’s president, Tan Hoe Chieow, said it was a serious breach of ethics and urged the surau committee to lodge a police report.

Krishnan went on to caution all parties, especially political ones, against exploiting the incident as the country “could not afford further escalation” of this issue.

“What we need now are cooler heads and a collective effort to uphold harmony.”