KUALA LUMPUR: The gathering of more than 1,000 people outside the court complex of Jalan Duta in support of prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak here has raised public ire nationwide.
The group which arrived as early as 6.30am was there in anticipation of the verdict in Najib corruption charges involving RM42 million of SRC International Bhd funds.
Clad in red and blue shirts, the authority had only permitted the group to gather outside the court's compound.
It has been observed that no social distancing was practised and a majority of them did not wear face masks.
This had attracted strong condemnation and criticism in social media after pictures of the crowd were uploaded by various news portals.
They questioned why the authorities did not order for the group to disperse or take any action against them.
Some urged the government to impose compounds to those who did not follow the standard operating procedure (SOP).
"Najib's decision in court today, cluster bossku coming soon," said a Facebook user Mani Raja, in reference to Najib's nickname among his supporters.
Another Facebook user Patrick Chen said: "Is Covid-19 virus on leave today? Looks like they do not follow SOP and do not care at all. Where is the enforcement?"
Meanwhile, others called for the group to be more vigilant and responsible by practising social distancing.
"Please practise social distancing of at least 1m and wear your masks. (The) Covid-19 virus can be anywhere and is invisible," Facebook user Chandrra Vejayan said.
It is learnt that about 20 buses of supporters had made their way to the court.