Black flag campaign waves across social media

 

An online campaign to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was trending on Twitter this afternoon, with many netizens sharing photos of black flags that they displayed as a show of support.

The heavy support came despite police having said that they are investigating the campaign under the Sedition Act.

A throng of photos started being uploaded at 3pm, coinciding with the time set by campaign organiser Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) which several days ago called on the public to wave black flags with hashtag #lawan.

Apart from seeking for Muhyiddin to step down, the campaign also called for Parliament to convene immediately and for the state of emergency to end.

As of 4.20pm, the hashtag has been tweeted over 72,000 times, while another hashtag, #BenderaHitam, that is also being used by supporters saw over 17,000 tweets.

Among those who supported the campaign include former Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan, who tweeted a photo of a black flag displayed on the gate of a house, believed to be hers.

"And it’s up! Together we #lawan," she said.

Another netizen who uses 'Vaksin Ku Seru' as Twitter handle posted "Enough is Enough! #Lawan"

The campaign also had its humorous turns, as some supporters showed their creative side, having to improvise after not being able to secure a proper black flag.

Some of them turned to black T-shirts and even singlets as a flag, while others resorted to more radical choices, including garbage bags and in one case, underwear, which they described as a way to show their dissatisfaction towards the Perikatan Nasional administration.

Several netizens were also seen posting photos of their pets, including dogs and cats, which have black fur as a substitute for a black flag.

"I don’t have a black flag. Will use these instead," said Twitter user @fakhrifitri96, who uploaded a photo of two black cats.

Earlier today, Malay daily Kosmo! quoted the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Abdul Jalil Hassan as saying that police have launched an investigation into the campaign.

He said they are investigating the case under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act, Section 505(c) of the Penal Code, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act. - Mkini