Red Shirts Put On a ‘Show’ In Front of Malaysiakini Office

Malaysiakini took Jamal's threats seriously and lodged a police report yesterday. Police personnel including those clad in anti-riot gear can be seen manning Malaysiakini's office compound since noon. Multiple police vehicles and a water cannon truck were spotted within the vicinity. A barricade has also been set up by the police to prevent the Red Shirts from entering the premises.

Keeping true to his words, Jamal showed up at Malaysiakini’s office around 3.30pm to join some of his supporters that have been waiting since 1pm. Some of the protestors came in groups via rented school and factory buses. It was estimated that a total of 700 protestors were present at the demonstration. When questioned about the number of supporters he intended to bring to the rally, he said he had limited number of participants to reach 20,000 because they were "law-abiding citizens".

The Malaysiakini staff members appeared to be unfazed by the presence of the Red Shirts supporters and carried on with their work.

The red shirts are starting to arrive in school and factory buses outside the Malaysiakini compound. They number around 300 right now. pic.twitter.com/nqs1EWvCRd

— malaysiakini.com (@malaysiakini) November 5, 2016

The Malaysiakini news room while the red shirts are protesting outside. pic.twitter.com/eKmws2zFot

— malaysiakini.com (@malaysiakini) November 5, 2016

According to Malaysiakini, some of the supporters who came to the demonstration appeared to be in the dark and were mostly in their youths. One middle-aged protestor was unsure why she was taken to the rally while another protestor, Haziq, 14, didn't know the purpose of the rally and was asked to tag along.

Q: Kenapa datang? Haziq, 14: Tak tau, ada orang ajak datang | @mkini_bm pic.twitter.com/WCigsmQZ8Z

— Zikri Kamarulzaman (@zikri) November 5, 2016

All sorts of antics were put on display during the demonstration. An assortment of banners can be seen, some protesting Bersih, some reading "Kami sedia bertempur (we are ready for battle)". Meanwhile, other members were heard chanting "tutup Malaysiakini (close down Malaysiakini)" and "hancur Malaysiakini (destroy Malaysiakini)."

Out of nowhere, the protesters also decided to put on a bizzare silat performance in front of the premises with some of the members hitting themselves with bricks and sticks.