Action will be taken against organiser if Bersih 4 goes on, say police
(The Malaysian Insider) – Police today warned electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 that action will be taken against them if they decide to proceed with the Bersih 4 rally as it has been classified as unlawful.
Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zainol Samah said despite being told at a meeting that the rally was unlawful, the organiser was adamant on proceeding with their plan to assemble in the vicinity of Dataran Merdeka.
“It was the second meeting with the organiser where we listened to them about their plan on the rally. We also told them why the rally is unlawful.
“We told them that it’s an unlawful rally because the organiser failed to obtain permission as stipulated in Section 11 of Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 and there simply cannot be two assemblies on the day at the same time,” Zainol said in a press conference at the district police headquarters.
He said the organiser was also informed that the police were not against the right of individuals to gather under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution but that there were limitations to the right.
“The Federal Constitution gives the right to assemble peacefully but it is still within necessary limitation. The freedom to assemble is not an ultimate right,” he added.
The police also advised the public not to attend the rally. “We would also like to remind that young children should not be involved in the rally as it is against the law under Section 20(1)(c) of the Peaceful Assembly Act,” he said.
Zainol was coy when asked whether arrests will be made soon to stop the rally from proceeding. “It all depends on the situation,” he said. He also said that police will be monitoring the crowd at the rally.