A rowdy group of youths clashed with reporters near Dataran Merdeka today just after the Anti-GST rally ended.

At about 4.55pm and just as crowds began to leave, the group of about 20 in black T-shirts popped orange smoke grenades and magnesium flares and began marching down Jalan Raja, next to Dataran Merdeka.

The group also carried red and black flags, black banners, and flags carrying a logo with the words 'Antifa (anti-fascists) Malaysia'.

Some in the group were also seen spraying graffiti on the road, one of which read, "We are against corruption".

Upon spotting the commotion, about 30 media personnel converged on the group but soon had profanities and lewd gestures hurled at them.

The scene later escalated into a brief melee between the media personnel and the youths.

A Xin Hua news agency videographer was kicked while another youth hurled a wooden flagpole that struck another photographer.

Police and Kuala Lumpur City Hall officers witnessing the scene at Dataran Merdeka from behind a barricade did not respond, while a Unit Amal personnel was heard shouted to his colleagues, “Unit Amal, pull out!” which they did.

In a statement later, the Malaysian Press Photographers Association (MPPA) slammed the attack, alleging that aside the Xin Hua videographer, cameramen from The Malaysian Reserved and Malaysia Focus were also struck.

“MPPA views this incident seriously as the gathering was a peaceful one, under the permit accorded by authorities. There should not have been any disturbances,” its secretary-general Mohammad Naim Firdaus Abdul Aziz said.

MPPA is mulling lodging a police report and taking legal action, as it said they possess photographic evidence of the attack.

Earlier incident

In another incident at about 4.05pm, the same youths were involved in a scuffle with PAS Unit Amal members along Jalan Raja, where Jingga 13 leader Fariz Musa was caught in the middle.

Also present were members of Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM).

Unit Amal members had tried to hold the line while the crowd pushed forward, throwing water bottles and engaging in a brawl with members of Jingga 13, who tried to calm them down.

A member of the group, Mohd Haizal Yatiran, told KiniTV, “At first we had an issue with Unit Amal. Twice we tried to go in (into Dataran Merdeka) but they won’t let us in because they said we are here to cause a scene.

“After that when we were causing a scene because we were dissatisfied, this videographer claimed that he wanted to cool us down, so what else? We gave it to him. He really got kicked.”

Meanwhile, the videographer who asked to be identified only as Zul, claims to have kept his cool.

“I didn’t kick them, I just recorded. They kicked me twice in the stomach, but I just kept my cool,” he said.

The Star reported that the group was unhappy that Unit Amal members were blocking the them from accessing Dataran Merdeka.

Asked why they wanted to access the field, when both organisers and police had agreed that Dataran Merdeka was off-limits, one of the youths had said, "There is no pact between lions and men."

"We want to access the field. We are here to fight, not fight physically but to fight the government, but Unit Amal is blocking us," he added.

Speaking to Malaysiakini later, Fariz said "Antifa" had provoked the crowd first.

"When they arrived at Jalan Raja, people were already sitting and listening to speeches. It was peaceful.

"But the group insisted on causing disruptions and started singing. Some of the other rally participants could not accept their behaviour and reacted," he said.

Despite the ruckus, Kuala Lumpur police thanked the public for their “tolerance” and cooperation in ensuring the peace.

“By 5pm, the situation in Kuala Lumpur was under control even though there were locations there were still full of participants.

“There were also several small incidences among the participants, such as shoving, but the situation was still under control,” KL police chief Mohmad Salleh said in a statement.