Indonesian gay conference overrun by mob of religious fundamentalists
”We forced them to return home by Sunday. We also told them not to make a media statement.”
Mohammad Chaeruddin, secretary-general of the Islamic Defenders Front, a fundamentalist Muslim organization in Indonesia that successfully put a halt to a conference about gay issues in Surabaya, East Java. (Jakarta Post)
”There are indications that the event could trigger a social crisis and cause public unrest…. This ban was issued for the sake of public order.”
Sulistyo Ishak, Brig. General fro the Indonesian national police speaking about the reasons they caved in to the demands of an Islamist mob that forced a gay conference to be shut down and the participants to flee. (AP)
”The rule of law was basically suspended during the occupation by the Islamists, and both the police and the hotel management gave in completely to the demands of the mob’s leaders, who threatened to call in reinforcements if their demands were not met…. The hotel management even went so far as to give a complete list of the conference participants staying in the hotel to the mob…. Later that evening, mob members conducted a floor-by-floor sweep of the hotel, going to the rooms of conference participants to make sure they had left.”
Renato Sabbadini, co-secretary of the ILGA giving a detailed account to Gay City News of the disruption that happened this weekend at a gay conference in Indonesia this weekend. One of the organizers says he was repeatedly punched for refusing to turn over the conference participants names. (Gay City News)
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
