KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — Participants of the on-going #KitaLawan sit-in event at Dataran Merdeka were told by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to clear out of the venue by midnight, organisers said.

In a brief media statement, the organisers said DBKL officers visited the site tonight and told those attending the sit-in to “vacate” as soon as possible.

“They used the word ‘vacate’. Grace period given is until midnight tonight,” the statement said.

“This is another form of threat from the authorities. Our youths will continue to exercise their constitutional right to gather peacefully,” it added.

The organisers said, however, that they believe participants may be forced out of the venue.

In the run-up to this Saturday’s mass rally, the #KitaLawan movement have planned a series of sit-ins and other events, including a campaign calling for the sacking of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar that was started yesterday.

At a press conference yesterday, the organisers also vowed that their Saturday rally will go on despite the recent slew of arrests, and said no notice as required under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) will be given to the police.

Jingga 13 Chief and PKR member Fariz Musa, who was arrested over a previous rally, insisted that police approval was not necessary and the event will take place regardless of authorities’ views.

Last April, the Court of Appeal ruled it unconstitutional to criminalise spontaneous public assemblies in breach of a 10-day notice required under Section 9(1) of the PAA, and also ordered that Section 9(5) — which imposes a maximum RM10,000 fine for non-compliance — be struck out for running counter to the Federal Constitution.

Police arrested 79 people for protesting the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) outside the Federal Territory Customs Complex on Monday, 25 of whom including two MPs were charged yesterday.

Since Anwar’s sodomy conviction last month, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and his police force have engaged in an apparent crackdown on dissent by lawyers, politicians and social activist movements.

Police have arrested at least 11 people over previous #KitaLawan rallies.