A Malaysian court has denied bail to a group of ethnic Indians charged with the attempted murder of a policeman who was injured during a protest in Kuala Lumpur late last month.
The court on Thursday said the 31 men, who attended a banned demonstration on November 25, were a threat to national security, a lawyer said.
P Uthayakumar, their defence lawyer and a co-organiser of the November rally, said denial of bail amounted to "racism against the Indians".
A trial date has been set for January 14, and the men, aged between 18 and 54, could be jailed up to 20 years if convicted.
Following the court decision vowed to keep pushing for equality saying "they are trying to stifle us into abandoning our cause".
"We will continue with our legal, peaceful and international struggle," he told The Associated Press.
The protesters were charged this week with attempted murder in connection with an injury sustained by a policeman as authorities moved to break up tens of thousands of protesters in Kuala Lumpur.
The acccused also face charges of causing damage to public property and illegal assembly, with some charged with rioting.
The rally was organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) to protest what it says are racially discriminatory policies, allegations the government has denied.
The policeman, Dadi Abdul Rani, was allegedly attacked with bricks and iron pipes during the demonstration near one of Malaysia's major Hindu temples just outside of Kuala Lumpur.
The protesters are demanding fair treatment saying the government's affirmative action programme favouring ethnic Malays amounts to racial discrimination.
Indians are Malaysia's third-largest ethnic minority after the Chinese.