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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.
@matayam8237 Terkini!!! Kerajaan Madanon Ketimbang Sudah Mula Ganggu Himpunan Turun Anwar Semalam Timbalan OCPD sebelah kiri gambar tu yang bincang dengan YB Ustaz Afnan dan bersetuju tak boleh masuk lori tapi boleh bawa masuk staging sebagai pentas. Jadi petugas kita dari pukul 3 pagi hingga subuh bersusah payah setup pentas. Pagi ni tetiba orang yang sama datang suruh buka pentas dan ugut nak sita pulak. Apa cerita ni Kerajaan KETIMBANG? Konon terbuka nak memudahkan himpunan. Beri kerjasama. Anwar Ibrahim shame on you!!! Sebarkan kepada semua. https://www.facebook.com/650875906/posts/pfbid02NnQ4PryTx9XDo8FecZL6opGHq9LR9MfKwjBJxsX54voz88GcrTf957qas5GZSGz3l/?app=fbl @Mat Ayam GuaQ ♬ original sound – Rooster Guaq #Mat Ayam GuaQ
Rally Continues Despite Setback
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.
Depa sebat bontot anwar hahahahahahahahahahah#turunAnwar pic.twitter.com/gaf2sa2FRk
— Glasgow smile (@KLHC88) July 26, 2025
Business Continues As Normal
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.
Walaupun kat social berdegar degar semangat tapi mungkin deep down orang rasa Anwar takde la teruk gila untuk diorang turun ke jalan. Sebab aku pun fikir benda yang sama.
— FÈRDhttps://t.co/6cY9eSuxIr
(@dauspozi) July 26, 2025
Parts of this story have been sourced from Malaysiakini.
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