The national news agency had a different take on the anti-Goods and Services Tax (GST) rally, among others, highlighting the traffic congestion caused by "hundreds" of protesters shouting "provocative" slogans.

In one report, Bernama claimed that protesters breached the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 by bringing their children along.

And when asked, the report stated that protesters gave the excuse that there was no one to care for their children at home.

"Checks by Bernama around the National Mosque found most of the protesters wearing red, with some ignoring the safety and well-being of their children who had to stand under the hot sun at the open space near the mosque.

"A rally participant who wished to be identified as Osman, who was met near the Sogo shopping complex in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, said he and his wife were forced to bring along their two children as there was no one to look after them at home and today also being a public holiday (Workers Day)," read the report.

   

Another participant who did not want to be identified told Bernama that he brought along his three daughters to the protest gathering as there was no one at home to look after them and also because there was no school today.

   

At the same location, the news agency said a trader was seen selling sharp objects such as Rambo knives and using a loud hailer to interact with the GST protesters.

Traffic congestion

As for traffic congestion, Bernama said that the situation was made worse by protest participants' parking their vehicles haphazardly along the roadside.

Meanwhile, the national news agency also reported on the public expressing disappointed that the protest had disrupted their plans to go sightseeing and shopping in the city during a public holiday.

Ahmad Sufian, 45, complained that he had to turn back because of the massive gridlock.

   

"It has been five months since I visited my family, only today, I had the opportunity to come to Kuala Lumpur... But I had to postpone my plan," said the employee of a private firm in Ipoh.

Single mother Rubiah Saat, 48, told Bernama that rally participants behaved aggressively and irresponsibly, paying little heed to the safety of road users.

"They suddenly cross the road, forcing us to hit the brakes... They are quite selfish," she fumed.

Anti-gov't words like 'kangkung'

Continuing its series of negative reports, another said a Bernama "survey at the venue" alleged that they found protestors hitting photos of the country's leadership with slippers and singing songs "containing words which are anti-government".

Among them were "kangkung" and "oppose GST", reported the government news agency.

A further news report had interviewees complaining that "public holidays such as Labour Day ... are normally being spent leisurely together with their families in the national

capital and for shopping."

The report cites a few respondents complaining how the massive rally to protest the upcoming GST, that is said to further burden the people, were ruining their holiday.

"People wished to take advantage of the public holiday to have recreational activities and sightseeing," it quoted Nazirah Azizan, 27, saying.

None of the reports mentioned the estimated 50,000 who flooded the streets around Dataran Merdeka, except for the "hundreds" mentioned in passing in one report at 3.53pm.