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Rally erupts in violence
Jakarta Post - November 5, 2016
At midnight, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo praised the rally's Muslim leaders for keeping the rally in order during the day. "However, we regretted the violence in the evening. Political actors took advantage of this situation," he said.
The President further stated that the legal process against Ahok would take place in a transparent fashion.
The anti-Ahok rally ran peacefully early in the day, but soon after dusk, violence broke out following a scuffle involving a small number of protesters, who were allegedly members of the Muslim Students Association (HMI) and activists from the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), the firebrand Islamic organization that played a leading role in Friday's protest.
In a strange turn of events, the FPI joined forces with the police at one point to call for the HMI students to disperse and not to get closer to the State Palace.
As the scuffle broke out between the riot police and the alleged HMI students, unidentified protesters torched three police trucks parked on the corner of Monas Square. In the midst of the chaotic situation, the police started firing tear gas and used water canons to disperse the crowd.
Learning about the clash, hundreds of protesters, who were on their way back to Istiqlal Mosque, started streaming back to the area near the State Palace. Three police officer was reported to have been injured in the confrontation.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto went down to the protest site near the State Palace soon after 9 p.m. to calm down the protesters.
"They should have all dispersed. They know me, they should have calmed down. Back off," Wiranto told the protesters. Some of the protesters retreated and headed toward the House of Representatives complex.
Earlier this week, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, a National Mandate Party (PAN) politician, said the compound would be open to protesters who wanted to spend the night there after the protest.
Earlier on in the protest, signs promoting violence could be seen in the crowd, which was composed of a number of Muslim groups. Some of the signs used strong language to condemn Ahok's statements about a verse in the Quran, which the protestors deemed as insulting to the Muslim faith.
Carrying banners reading "prosecute Ahok," "arrest Ahok," and "Ahok go home," some groups in the crowd threatened Ahok with death. Some protesters gathered in front of Istiqlal Mosque were caught on camera chanting "bunuh, bunuh si Ahok sekarang juga" (kill, kill Ahok right now)."
Elsewhere, near Gambir Station, a group of protesters hung a makeshift banner bearing the words: "gantung Ahok disini" (Hang Ahok right here).
While the majority of the more than 100,000 protesters who showed up for the anti-Ahok rally were concentrated around the State Palace, a small number of protesters managed to reach the residential area of Pantai Mutiara, Pluit, North Jakarta, where Ahok lives.
The crowd failed to enter the residential complex, which was heavily guarded by scores of personnel from the Jakarta Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI). The protestors could only chant "Ahok, get out,".
The protesters carried a banner reading "Laskar Masjid Luar Batang" (Luar Batang Mosque Militia). Luar Batang residents have been in dispute with the Jakarta administration following the city's plan to demolish houses in the area as part of the revitalization of the mosque for religious tourism.
The Friday protest went smoothly during the day without any incidents and the majority of the protesters left the demonstration grounds before 6 p.m., the deadline given by the Jakarta Police for the rally. Some of the protestors enjoyed the festive mood of the demonstration.
The security authorities have been credited for taking measures aimed at easing tensions.
Along the way from Istiqlal Mosque, where the protesters gathered for Friday prayers, to the State Palace, food and drinks provided by the FPI were easily available for the marchers.
"The supplies were delivered by the leaders at our headquarters in Petamburan [in Central Jakarta]," said Anwar, an FPI member. Anwar said he did not know who had financed the purchase of the food.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan said that in order to prevent possible clashes, on-duty police personnel were not allowed to use firearms or bayonets. Police personnel were also instructed to chant the Asmaul Husna (the 99 names of God) to calm down the crowd if they became violent.
The Jakarta Police also dispatched dozens of female officers wearing hijabs to stand guard in front of the State Palace in the hope of calming protesters.
It was at this peaceful stage of the rally that leaders of the demonstration tried to negotiate their way into the State Palace to meet with the President.
But because Jokowi, who on Thursday pledged to remain at the palace during the rally, decided to go to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, for an impromptu visit to check on the progress of the construction of a railway network linking downtown Jakarta with the airport, the leaders of the demonstration could only meet with Wiranto.
Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin also attempted to talk with the protesters. At around 3 p.m., however, the protesters declined to negotiate with Wiranto and insisted on meeting with Jokowi.
"Yes, I am representing the government. We are representing the government," Wiranto told the leaders, referring also to Lukman Hakim, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung.
The rally leaders declined to talk with Wiranto and left the grounds of the State Palace. "I can't [go on]. I'm just a messenger," said Muslim cleric Bachtiar Nasir, one of the rally's leaders.
Later in the afternoon, the protest leaders agreed to meet with Vice President Jusuf Kalla at his office on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in the vicinity of the State Palace.
Speaking after the meeting, Kalla said the investigation into the alleged blasphemy case implicating Ahok would be completed within two weeks. "Our conclusion is that in the case involving Ahok, we will uphold the law indiscriminately and it will be completed within two weeks," Kalla told reporters.
Tito earlier said that the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department had scheduled a questioning session for Nov. 7 and would soon summon Ahok.
[Safrin La Batu, Indra Budiari, Agnes Anya, Callistasia Anggun Wijaya contributed to this report.]
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/11/05/rally-erupts-in-violence.html.
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