KUALA LUMPUR – On the first day of the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in Selangor and a number of locales here, netizens are raising black flags in front of their homes as a sign of protest against the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
The signs of this peaceful protest movement are evident on social media, where the #Lawan and #BenderaHitam hashtags are currently trending.
As of 6.40pm, #Lawan garnered 130,000 tweets, while #BenderaHitam trails behind with 33,000 posts.
The campaign was initiated by Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat, which first urged the people to display black flags outside their business or residential premises and upload pictures of them online after 3pm with the #Lawan hashtag.
However, the police department is not taking this movement lightly, as Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said that the matter is being investigated under the Sedition Act, Penal Code and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Despite that, netizens have started uploading pictures of their black flags before 3pm.
While some do not have such flags on hand, some tried a creative hand by using black T-shirts, headscarves and rubbish bags as a substitute.
“Apparently, my (black flag) couldn’t make it today, Shopee ler ni lambat. So garbage bag it is!!!” @ninaal1ah said.
Apparently my ? couldn’t make it today, Shopee ler ni lambat. So garbage bag it is!!!#Lawan#KerajaanGagal pic.twitter.com/yK7FwXMDwS
— Nina ? (@ninaal1ah) July 3, 2021
Another Twitter user improvised by using a black sleeveless shirt, tweeting she was not afraid of the police.
“I am not afraid of you, @PDRMsia!
“Sick, tired and frustrated!! I can’t leave my house. My kid can’t go to school. We flattened the curve last year this time. We worked hard to get there. But what happened!!! Sabah, PDRM!
“My flag is up. Come & get me!” @amuse_gueule tweeted.
I am not afraid of you, @PDRMsia!
— ?Mom of KL™️ ?? (@amuse_gueule) July 3, 2021
Sick, tired and frustrated!! I can’t leave my house. My kid can’t go to school. We flattened the curve last year this time. We worked hard to get there. But what happened!!! Sabah, PDRM!
My flag is up. Come & get me! #Lawan pic.twitter.com/134WptR1ss
Also joining in is former Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who uploaded a photo of a small black flag on the gate of her house.
“And it’s up! Together we #lawan,” she tweeted.
And its up! Together we #lawan pic.twitter.com/P2886C8JbN
— Ambiga Sreenevasan (@Ambiga_S) July 3, 2021
Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, meanwhile, tweeted emojis of black flags.
???
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) July 3, 2021
Another netizen took it a step further by hoisting the flag at a pedestrian bridge.
The flag bore a comic caricature of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, along with the words “cirit”, understood to be in reference to a press release by his office stating that the Pagoh MP had been hospitalised for diarrhoea.
Peserta pertama belum sempat sabtu ??@amirxabdhadi #lawan #KerajaanBangsat pic.twitter.com/DIOCRDLibI
— Jack ready nak riot ?☠️ (@Jackberkicau) July 2, 2021
Another Twitter user, @faizalabdhalim_, whose picture of a black T-shirt was uploaded with a caption stating the three demands of the movement.
These demands are the resignation of Muhyiddin, the convening of Parliament and an end to the emergency proclamation.
3 tuntutan
— Free Palestine (@faizalabdhalim_) July 3, 2021
1. Resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin.
2. The convening of Parliament.
3. The ending of the Emergency Proclamation.#kerajaangagal #kerajaanbangsat #benderahitam #Lawan pic.twitter.com/XROt9uFgtG
The latest flag-flying campaign follows the recent Bendera Putih movement encouraging poverty-stricken folk in need of urgent help during the pandemic and lockdown to make their appeal known by flying a white flag in front of their homes. – The Vibes, July 3, 2021
