GEORGE TOWN, Feb 19 ― Claiming slander, DAP’s Steven Sim filed a police report today over a Facebook page that linked him to the recent desecration of a mosque in Bukit Mertajam.

The Bukit Mertajam MP denied he was behind the Sunday incident in which a piece of raw pork was found in the mosque compound, and instead said the allegations against him were an attempt to rock the peace in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state.

“This is the latest in a series of incidents aimed at creating chaos and instability in the state,” Sim told The Malay Mail Online when contacted.

The Facebook page under the name “Boikot Barangan Cina DAP” showed a picture of Sim under the headline “Cina lontar daging babi depan pintu masjid Bukit Mertajam” [Chinese lobbed pork in front of Bukit Mertajam mosque entrance) on February 17.

The 31-year-old said the Facebook page also contained other provocative and slanderous statements, namely that he had ignored the February 16 attack on the mosque.

In a joint statement, Sim, Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari and PKR assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin urged the police to investigate a series of incidents they pointed out had caused interfaith conflict in Penang for the past one month.

They noted that on January 18, leaders from the state opposition party, Umno, and its supporters had demonstrated against the state government, holding aloft banners with provocative messages that threatened a reprisal of the May 13, 1969 race riots.

The demonstration in Seberang Jaya was to protest against Machang Bubok state assemblyman Lee Khai Loon's action of stuffing kangkung into the mouth of an effigy of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

On January 26, controversial banners containing the word “Allah” was displayed outside four churches in the state, which the churches denied putting up.

A day later, two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the grounds of the Church of the Assumption here.

Sim, Zhairil and Dr Afif noted that the Facebook claim followed on the heels of another online attack against the state government, in which they said a fake PR blog had been created alleging the Penang government planned to ban the obligatory Friday sermons in the state.

“The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) must be serious in stopping those irresponsible people from continuing to threaten the peace and harmony of our society,” the three PR  representatives said in their statement.

They demanded the IGP resign if he was unable to prevent further similar incidents from breaking out.