Himpunan Hijau di Sudut Pidato, Padang Kota, Esplanade itu dicemari apabila kira-kira 50 orang, termasuk pemimpin tempatan dari Pemuda Umno dan kumpulan pendesak Melayu, PERKASA mengganggu acara yang dijalankan itu.
Ketika acara itu dimulakan pada jam 6 petang, kumpulan itu mula menjerit kepada orang ramai yang berhimpun secara aman itu dan memberi amaran kepada mereka bahawa isu Lynas itu bukan "isu Pulau Pinang" dengan melaungkan slogan "Hidup Umno", "Kami mahukan kebebasan" dan "Balik Kuantan (Kembali ke Kuantan)".
Kira-kira 500 penyokong Himpunan Hijau kemudian membalas dengan laungan "Hidup Rakyat”.
Selepas 15 minit berlalu keadaan semakin tegang, namun tidak ada kelibat polis dilaporkan memantau keadaan.
Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng tiba kira-kira jam 6:30 petang dan berucap kepada hadirin bahawa Pakatan Rakyat berpendirian tegas bahawa tidak akan menyokong kilang penapisan nadir bumi bernilai RM700 juta yang dibina di Gebeng, dekat Kuantan itu kerana bahaya pencemaran bahan radioaktif.
Beliau juga menggesa rakyat yang hadir supaya tidak diperbodohkan dan digertak oleh kumpulan yang berkumpul berhampiran.
Wartawan dibelasah
Apabila mendengar nasihat Lim itu, kumpulan berkenaan terus mencaci Lim dan melemparkan kata-kata kesat ke atas setiausaha agung DAP itu. Para hadirin kemudian bertindak dengan mem-boo mereka.
Berikutan itu, Lim mula meninggalkan pentas dan menyertai orang ramai tetapi kumpulan itu mula mengasak para hadirin sehingga mengakibatkan berlakunya pertengkaran.
Menurut orang saksi, seorang wartawan dan seorang jurugambar sebuah akhbar berbahasa Cina cedera didakwa dipukul dengan topi keledar.
Mereka dikenal-pasti sebagai wartawan dan jurugambar akhbar Kwong Wah Jit Poh iaitu Andrew Chew, 29, dan Lee Hong Chun, 25, masing-masing cedera di bahagian badan dan kepala.
Mereka kini dirawat di Hospital Pulau Pinang (HPP).Pihak polis akhirnya tiba pada jam 7:15 malam dan menagarahkan orang ramai supaya bersurai.
Sementara itu, menurut laporan Benama, Ketua Polis Negeri Datuk Ayub Yaakob berkata penganjur langsung tidak memaklumkan kepada polis mengenai acara itu sehingga berlaku kekecohan.
"Memang tidak memerlukan permit tetapi sepatutnya penganjur memaklumkan atau berunding dengan pihak polis berhubung perhimpunan berkenaan supaya polis dapat bersiap sedia atau menempatkan anggota di kawasan berkenaan bagi mengelak sebarang perkara tidak diingini berlaku.
"Bila berlaku kekecohan, baru penganjur maklumkannya dan mereka juga cuba menyalahkan polis kerana lambat bertindak," katanya.
Tidak seperti Pulau Pinang, perhimpunan solidariti di bandar-bandar utama tempat lain berjalan dengan lancar.
Di BUKIT MERAH, Perak kira-kira 1,000 orang berkumpul di bekas tapak penapisan Asian Rare Earth (ARE) pada jam 11 pagi. Mereka berhimpun selama 90 minit untuk menunjukkan sokongan kepada rakan-rakan di Kuantan.
Penganjur perhimpunan itu Hew Yoon Tat, ketika dihubungi, berkata beliau memberikan ucapan pada majlis itu di mana beliau mengingatkan orang ramai bahawa kerja-kerja pembersihan terhadap projek yang terbelangkai itu sekarang masih berterusan dan menimbulkan bahaya.- malaysiakini
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Penang anti-Lynas rally disrupted by UMNO goons...
The Penang leg of solidarity gatherings for the Himpunan Hijau 2.0 rally
in Kuantan was the sole event which saw disruptions, with two
journalists hurt during a fracas that erupted at the rally.Himpunan Hijau supporters began gathering at the Penang Esplanade were met by a hostile group, which includes local leaders from Umno Youth and Malay rights pressure group Perkasa, numbering about 50.
Several members of this group have often been spotted at anti-Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng rallies organised by Suara Anak-Anak Malaysia and Komtar Traders Association vice president Abdul Ghani Mohammed Jiman.
When the event kicked off at about 6.00pm, the hostile group began jeering Himpunan Hijau supporters and telling them that this was not a “Penang issue”.
Some shouted “Hidup Umno”, "Hidup BN", “We want freedom” and “Balik Kuantan (Go back to Kuantan)”.Several Himpunan Hijau supporters who offered to debate with the hostile group were shouted at, pushed and told to stop their protest.
By this time, the Himpunan Hijau crowd that swelled to about 500, retorted by chanting anti-Lynas slogans, and “Hidup rakyat (Long live the people)”.
By about 6.15pm, no police were in sight despite the intense shouting match which ensued.
Freedom to speak, not harass
Penang executive councillor and Tanjung MP Chow Kon Yeow who was first to address the crowd, saying that the freedom of speech of both pro and anti-Lynas supporters must be respected.
However, Chow said if the pro-Lynas supporters wanted to express their views, they could have organised another protest, instead of "harassing and disturbing" their opponents.
"The pro-Lynas supporters say this is not a Penang issue. But this is not a political issue, it is something that concerns all Malaysians," he said.
"And if this is not a Penang issue, then why are they shouting here?" he added.
Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng arrived at the scene at about 6.30pm and addressed the Himpunan Hijau supporters, affirming Pakatan Rakyat’s stance against the Lynas rare earth refinery in Gebeng, near Kuantan, because of potential radioactive hazards.
He also urged the crowd not to be cowed by the opposing group gathered just near by.Upon hearing this, the hostile group showered Lim with a barrage of vulgarities and popular Hokkien swear words, prompting Himpunan Hijau crowd to boo them.
The hostile group also shouted at the CM to "please settle Penang problems first, before talking about issues in another country or state".
However, Lim braved all the obscenities, and told the crowd that those who supported Lynas did it for the money as the company benefitted only Umno cronies.
Journalist assaulted
Following this, Lim attempted to leave the stage and join the crowd but the hostile group started to push participants and a fracas ensued.
According to eyewitnesses, two journalists from local Chinese daily Kowng Wah Jit Poh - Adam Chew and Lee Hong Chun - were struck with motorcycle helmets. Lee, when met later, said his head was injured, and that he was hit by the pro-Lynas members while snapping shots of the group trying to stop Lim's car from leaving the field.
The police finally moved in at about 7.15pm, blaring sirens and demanding that the crowd disperse.
Unlike Penang, other solidarity rallies in major towns and cities elsewhere proceeded smoothly.
In BUKIT MERAH, Perak some 1,000 people gathered at the former Asian Rare Earth (ARE) refinery at 11am for a 90-minute rally to show support for the Kuantan counterparts.
Rally organiser Hew Yoon Tat, when contacted, said he gave a speech during the event where he reminded the public that the cleanup works for the now defunct ARE was still ongoing and thus still pose a danger.
“The government should put a blanket ban on rare earth processing factory,” he said.-malaysiakini
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