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Groups skirmish during Rizieq trial
Members of two organizations clashed outside the Central Jakarta district court building Thursday as Rizieq Shihab's trial continues
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Members of two organizations clashed outside the Central Jakarta district court building Thursday as Rizieq Shihab's trial continues.
Supporters of the Islamic hardline group Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and a group of men clad in T-shirts emblazoned with the word Banser -- a paramilitary group tied to another Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama -- came to blows during the trial's midday break.
Thursday was the ninth day of hearings in Rizieq's trial. He is charged with allegedly inciting his supporters to riot by attacking a rally promoting religious tolerance at National Monument (Monas) park June 1.
Four people wearing Banser T-shirts and three FPI supporters were injured during the Thursday fracas. Sultan, a witness, said both sides had also thrown stones at each other.
Both sides claimed that the other party had been the aggressor.
In the afternoon session of Rizieq's trial, immediately after the clash, Rizieq told presiding judge Panusunan Harahap that his FPI members were attacked by a group of "paid thugs".
He asked the prosecutors directly whether they were responsible.
"Did you bring the thugs in? There were 33 of them. My members were injured during the attack!" Rizieq said loudly, adding that the "thugs" had been carrying sharp weapons, including a sickle.
He said a third party might have been trying to create havoc between Banser and FPI since the apparent "thugs" were wearing Banser T-shirts.
M. Guntur Romli denied Rizieq's suggestion of third party involvement on his part. Guntur is a member of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB), organizers of the June 1 rally.
"It was not a clash! We were attacked and none of the Banser members carried weapons. They came to the district court to show support for us. They're members of Gus Nuril's Banser," he told The Jakarta Post.
He said the 33 men wearing Banser T-shirts came showed up to support him and other witnesses in the June 1 Monas ambush case. The witnesses had planned to hand out a letter stating that they were boycotting the trial because they had not gotten a safety guarantee from court authorities.
"Just as we were about to stop public buses in front of the Pelni building, about 300 meters from the district court building, we were attacked," Guntur said.
After the clash, three FPI supporters who suffered minor injuries and a man named Ali came to city police headquarters to report the attack and related threats.
Ali said he reported Guntur for threatening him as he passed through the court's entry gate. "Guntur said he would kill me," he said.
Guntur denied Ali's statement, and said Ali had been the man who had threatened him during his previous court appearance Monday.
"I was meeting my friend in front of the gate when a man approached me and said 'How dare you come again here?' and I replied, 'Why should I be afraid? I come as a witness.' "
During the day's sessions, prosecutors called nine police officers from the city police headquarters who had interrogated FPI defendants as a response to FPI claims that police had intimidated them during questioning.
All eight FPI defendants -- including Agus Bambang, Fahrurrozi, Subhan, Sudiran and Sunarto -- retracted their signed dossiers during a hearing earlier this month.
Most said they were questioned until 3 a.m. and were verbally coerced into signing the dossiers.
Police officers who testified at the hearing denied the accusation.
