Surabaya residents join hands to resist violence

Several groups of protesters who call themselves Warga Surabaya, or Surabaya residents, held a peaceful rally in front of the Grahadi building in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday in an expression of solidarity after the Sunday onslaught of Ahmadiyah followers in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten and the Tuesday violence against three churches in Temanggung, Central Java.

The protesters’ spokesman, Adi Widyatama, said the demonstration is a call for all parties to resist any form of violence.

"The spread of hatred, destruction, killing and onslaught on behalf of anything hurts human dignity. We deplore both violent incidents,” said Adi as quoted by kompas.com.

Dozen of protesters joining the rally had donned dark attire as an expression of sorrow.

Protesters also called for the government's commitment to protecting the people's rights to perform their religions.