PETALING JAYA: A Facebook user was found to have used a 2013 photo of a Filipino cop burning the Jalur Gemilang to falsely accuse the Chinese Malaysian community of disrespecting the national flag and the country.

The FB user, who goes by the name “Nadzmi Nadzmi”, posted the photo on Tuesday (Aug 20), with the caption saying that he was “feeling pissed”.

“Is this how your kind celebrates Merdeka?" he wrote in the viral Facebook post.

A quick Google reverse image search revealed that the photo was actually taken in Manila in 2013.

It is a picture of retired Filipino police officer Abner Afuang setting fire to the Jalur Gemilang to condemn Malaysia during the Lahad Datu stand-off.

The same photo was also used in 2015 to falsely accuse the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) of disrespect.

After having been called out, Nadzmi posted a separate Facebook message on Aug 21, claiming that his accusation was an experiment “to test the emotions and spirit for the love of the flag and the nation".

“Sorry to the friends who misinterpreted my post, ” he wrote, calling for harmony.



Abner Afuang, a retired Filipino policeman, burns a Malaysian flag in front of the National Press Club office in Manila. -JAMIE ELONA/INQUIRER

This second post garnered only five shares. He did not offer this explanation in the comments section of the original post that is going viral with over 4,700 shares as of press time.

At a time when the Perak Sultan, activists and veterans call for harmony, Nadzmi's post riled up many Malaysians.

His post comes at a time when racial tensions are high.

A mistake by a foreign worker who hung the national flag upside down in a school in Pahang had also spurred anger earlier this week.

Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador said police had found that the act was an “honest mistake” and not meant to cause embarrassment or serve as a protest.

Abdul Hamid also urged Malaysians not to make baseless statements about racial sensitivities and exploit situations without understanding the facts.

Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also warned that his ministry would not hesitate to take action against anyone threatening the country's peace and harmony, including foreigners.

This comes after he noticed how some quarters had a tendency to spread fake news and issue racist statements without considering the sensitivities of others in a multiracial country like Malaysia.