Himpun 16: Petaling Street troublemakers out to provoke, says Ali Tinju

PETALING JAYA: Mohd Ali Baharom or better known as Ali Tinju has denied any involvement with a group of red shirt protesters which stirred trouble in Petaling Street.

When contacted, Mohd Ali said he was resting at home following the Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu rally. He claimed the group was there to provoke a peaceful rally and that he was not part of it.

“They are irresponsible. They were there to provoke our movement.

“What they did was against the rules of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012. We are not allowed to insult other religions. I hope the police and local authorities will charge those people if proven guilty.

“The group of ex-commandos and army personnel were there to monitor the safety of protesters at the designated checkpoints. None of my members were part of the fracas,” he said when contacted by The Star Online.

On Wednesday evening, a group of red shirt protesters in Petaling Street refused to back down in a stand-off with the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) even after water cannons were fired at them.

The group insisted that they should be allowed to enter Petaling Street and threatened to break through the FRU barricade.

Two policeman and a protester are reported to have been injured in the clash. All three are receiving medical attention.

Mohd Ali said his group had followed the instructions of police and Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) and that they were only focused on going to Padang Merbok to gather with the other NGOs.

“The event went well and I did not see any problems. I only saw a group of united people. We followed the rules and respected the authorities.

“The attendance was encouraging, especially the Malays. I think more than 500,000 people attended the rally,” he said.

Mohd Ali is no stranger to controversy, as he had been called in by police over a speech he made following a brawl at Low Yat Plaza in July.

He was subsequently investigated under the Sedition Act.

He was also previously involved in a“butt dance” protest which took place in front of former Bar Council chairman Datuk S. Ambiga’s residence in 2013.