LIKE the Bersih 4 rally on the eve of Merdeka Day, the Red-Shirt rally, or Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu, on Malaysia Day turned out to be more celebration than protest, although the former had the distinct objective of unseating a democratically-elected government and was actually illegal. While both were relatively peaceful, as hoped for by the organisers, pockets of trouble did occur, as it is wont to happen when gatherings such as these are held. There will be opportunistic troublemakers who will somehow get out of control and do things which are not only offensive but illegal as well. It brings to mind how some participants of the Bersih 4 rally stepped on a picture of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Pas president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang while there were even those who appallingly made their young children carry placards with obscene messages. Similarly, too, in the Red-Shirt rally, the organisers alleged that a separate group of people attempted to sabotage the event. The ruckus at the entrance to Petaling Street ” one of the three areas declared off-limits to the rally participants ” forced police to fire water cannon to disperse the protesters. The irritated protesters hurled stones and bottles, hitting several policemen. At least two policemen and a protester were injured in the ensuing fracas.
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