[Watch] Authorities Order Stage Removal At Himpunan Turun Anwar, Protesters Stage Symbolic Whipping Of PM's Effigy

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

Organisers of an opposition rally were forced to dismantle their main stage at Dataran Merdeka earlier today (26 July) after authorities cited permit violations and safety concerns.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) instructed organisers of the rally to remove the stage hours before the “Himpunan Turun Anwar” rally by Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition was scheduled to begin.

Acting Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Mohamed Usuf Jan Mohamad said the organisers had not obtained proper authorisation to build the stage and failed to inform police about who would be using it.

“The initial agreement between police and organisers was to use two four-wheel drive vehicles as a platform,” he said.

PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden expressed frustration over what he called conflicting instructions from authorities.

Writing on Facebook, he stated that the police had initially allowed them to set up the stage, chairs, and backdrop at 3:30 am, only to order their removal at 10 am.

“When we finished setting up, they told us to take it down. Yesterday they said one thing, this morning they said another. Is this planned provocation?” he questioned.

Despite the stage controversy, the demonstration proceeded as planned with protesters converging at Dataran Merdeka from multiple starting points, including a group that marched from Masjid Jamek.

Rally leaders announced that participants would perform their afternoon prayers at the main gathering point while waiting for others to arrive from different locations.

At Central Market, another group of protesters held prayers using cloth banners as makeshift prayer mats before beginning their march at 2 pm.

In one interesting scene, protesters gathered around an effigy covered with a white cloth and Anwar’s face plastered on it.

A protester whipped it with a rotan on the ‘butt’, drawing cheers from the surrounding crowd.

The large gathering did not significantly disrupt commercial activities in the area.

Shopping centres, including Sogo, Pertama Complex and Campbell Complex, remained open to the public.

While Sogo’s main entrance was closed, shoppers could still enter through side doors.

Small vendors took advantage of the crowd, setting up stalls along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman to sell drinks, “Turun Anwar” T-shirts and noise-makers to rally participants.

As of noon, approximately 2,000 protesters were present at Dataran Merdeka, marking a notable difference from the atmosphere during previous large-scale political demonstrations in the capital.

Parts of this story have been sourced from Malaysiakini.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.