‘Disrupt the peace, face arrest'
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Azizee Ismail, who said action would be taken against anyone who incites tension and disrupts peace outside the shop today.
The shop is involved in a controversy when the owner was filmed holding a pole with the national flag upside down.
In a statement, Comm Datuk Azizee advised against joining the gathering to ensure community safety and maintain public order.
'Just wait for the Attorney General's Chambers to take the next step. He said the investigation papers had been submitted to the Chambers on Monday.
'Action will be taken against any individual or group found to be breaking the law or causing disturbances, riots or criminal acts in accordance with existing legal provisions,' he said.
Comm Azizee said to date, a total of 38 police reports have been lodged nationwide – 17 in Penang and 21 in other states.
He said police are also investigating the person who recorded and circulated the video.
On Saturday, the shop owner Pang Chin Tian, 59, was arrested following accusations that he had improperly displayed the flag. He has been released on police bail.
On Tuesday, Penang DAP put up a giant Jalur Gemilang at the shop, adding that it planned to mobilise its members to 'defend' the business premises.
This prompted Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh to say he would turn up today to see if DAP had hung the promised flag 'correctly.'
He also called on others to join him at the gathering at a night market some 2km from the shop.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said DAP's move could draw large numbers of politically charged individuals to a location already under intense public scrutiny. This, he said, would drastically increase the risk of direct confrontation.
The issue first came to light after a 21-second video, showing two men outside the hardware shop with the Jalur Gemilang upside down, went viral.
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