'Red Shirt' rally: What went down in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 16

The ruckus that broke out at Petaling Street had marred an otherwise peaceful ‘Red Shirt’ rally on Wednesday.

At least two people were detained by police following the incident and they will be investigated under Section 143 of the Penal Code, according to a statement by City police chief Datuk Tajudin Md Isa today.

The statement also said, two police personnel were injured while carrying out their duties.

‘Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu’ participants came out in droves as early as 11am Wednesday in red T-shirts at several designated checkpoints around Kuala Lumpur such as Masjid India, Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Karangkraf Complex on Jalan Conlay and Masjid Wilayah.

It was a carnival-like atmosphere in the city centre amidst a backdrop of sounds from vuvuzelas and drums played by participants.

Around 2pm, the participants marched towards Padang Merbok where a main stage had been set up for the rally.

They were greeted by patriotic songs, slogans and cheers.

Among the leaders who attended the events included Kelantan Poverty Foundation founder Tan Sri Annuar Musa, National Silat Federation President Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam and Malaysian Indigenous Empowerment Organisation (Perkasa) president Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

The rally ended at around 5.30pm without any untoward incident.

Ali Rustam had previously said, the rally was in reaction to the Bersih 4 gathering held in the city on Aug 29 and 30.

Apart from that, organisers of the rally had urged the government to reinstate the Internal Security Act (ISA) in a bid to ensure national security, peace and harmony.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also urged police to investigate the incident that occurred on the sidelines of the 'Red Shirt' rally today.

Below is the timeline of events by Astro AWANI reporters who were on location: