Penang Umno Youth members only attacked political cartoonist Zunar’s exhibition in Komtar when Zunar refused to remove artworks lampooning Prime Minister Najib Razak, the wing’s chief Rafizal Abd Rahim said today.

Rafizal admitted he led the delegation of state Umno Youth members to Komtar to see Zunar in October last year, to demand that he removes those cartoons he said were “incriminating”.

The wing’s youths attacked Zunar that day, but it was Zunar who was arrested and remanded for a day under the Sedition Act.

“At the time, he was not so friendly, and that is when our boys started shouting and the situation became quite tense,” Rafizal told Malaysiakini in an interview...