KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Police have allowed the sea of red shirt protesters to march through Bukit Bintang in the city, despite a brief face-off earlier as demonstrators attempted to push past the enforcers blocking their way into the tourist hotspot.
Umno Youth exco Armand Azha Abu Hanifah, who led the march, said he hoped protesters will proceed peacefully.
"If anybody provokes you, catch them so we can give them to the cops," said Armand.
Earlier during the face-off, the situation turned slightly chaotic when protesters breached the police line blocking entry into the central business district.
But police guarding the area successfully kept the crowd in check as they proceeded their march.
The rally officially called Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu" rally is organised by martial arts group Pesaka and has received support by several Malay groups, as well as unofficial support from many Umno leaders.
The ruling party has insisted that it does not endorse the event, which has also been alternately called "Himpunan Maruah Melayu", but has not prohibited its members from participating.
The event is set for 2pm at Padang Merbok, the venue that organisers Pesaka have successfully obtained permission to use from the City Hall and the police.
A central figure in the rally today is Sungai Besar Umno chief Datuk Jamal Md Yunos, who leads a coalition of 250 Malay groups that have been calling the event “Himpunan Maruah Melayu” (Malay Dignity Rally).
Jamal was also the one who gave rise to early fears of racial unrest with his warning for non-Malays to stay away during the rally to avoid provoking attendees, leading to murmurs of comparison with the 1969 race riots.
Although Jamal later retracted his warning, the remark along with posters promoting the event that alluded to violence already gave the rally an unshakeable image of aggression and hostility towards non-Malays.
