Hundreds of Malaysians in Shanghai were able to stage a protest against Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak after organisers told local police they were celebrating their national day.
The protest was held outside a cafe on August 30 and attended by 300 to 500 people, Malaysian media website kwongwah.com reported.
The convener of the group told the website that local police gave them permission for the event after he said the rally was a commemorative activity to celebrate the Malaysian national day, which lands on August 31.
The protesters echoed the demands of their counterparts in Kuala Lumpur and other cities in the world for Razak to step down over a funding scandal.
Thousands of protesters clad in yellow blocked central Kuala Lumpur over the weekend to call for Razak’s removal after Wall Street Journal reported in July that Razak allegedly received nearly US$700 million (HK$5 billion) in his personal accounts before the country’s 2013 general elections.
Chinese police summoned Bersih Shanghai, organiser of the protest, to explain what authorities thought was a marketing event, the website reported.
Mass demonstrations in China rarely go without police intervention and crackdown even though the Chinese constitution grants citizens freedom of assembly. However, protests against foreign governments, especially Japan, are often allowed.
