Violence ensues in Jakarta protests demanding arrest of Christian governor
The protests in Jakarta calling for the arrest of a Christian, Gov. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, ended up in a clash between the demonstrators and the police on Friday, leaving one dead and multiple others injured.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the protests were largely peaceful during the day but it erupted into violence at night when the police started using tear gas to disperse the crowd outside the presidential palace.
The protesters reportedly threw stones and set fire to vehicles used by the police paramilitary force. Mulyadi P. Tamsir, head of the Islamic Students' Association (HMI), denied that the group initiated the violence.
"There were around 1,000 HMI members. We were sitting about 30 to 100 meters from the broken barricade, we backed away immediately after the tear gas shooting. My eyes hurt, my face was hot, we scrambled for water to wash our faces. We backed away immediately. I don't have any reports yet if any of our members were hurt. It was a peace action, we stuck to that," said Tamsir.
The rally came after Purnama, who is widely known as Ahok, allegedly insulted the Quran. The governor has been under investigation by the police after an edited video transcript surfaced where he appeared to suggest that voters were being deceived by a Quranic verse.
Some Islamic groups have warned against voting for Purnama, citing verse 51 from the fifth chapter of the Quran, al-Maida, which is interpreted as an instruction for Muslims not to live under the leadership of non-Muslims. However, some interpreted the verse as an instruction that applies only in the time of war.
The governor has since apologized for his comments but many Muslims still called for his arrest. He told the protest organizers that they are welcome to stage the rally but instructed them not to wreak the street gardens.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo canceled his trip to Australia as a result of the violent protests. CNN reported that at least 160 protesters and 70 police officers were injured. Indonesian police said that 10 people were detained for their involvement in the clashes.