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Two FPI members arrested for coordinating violent riots at City Hall
Police have arrested two members of the hardline Islamic group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), for allegedly coordinating violent protests against the upcoming governorship of Basuki âAhokâ Tjahaja Purnama that took place Friday afternoon at City Hall
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P
olice have arrested two members of the hardline Islamic group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), for allegedly coordinating violent protests against the upcoming governorship of Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama that took place Friday afternoon at City Hall.
On Friday evening, police officers, led by Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Unggung Cahyono,
descended upon FPI headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, to apprehend the suspects.
The police arrested Irwan, a protest coordinator, as well as another FPI member. Irwan denied directing the violent actions.
'I did not instruct my men to commit violent actions. I was unaware of
those actions taking place,' Irwan said after being questioned by Unggung as quoted bykompas.com.
Both men have been brought to Jakarta Police headquarters for further questioning.
Earlier in the day, members of the FPI demonstrated outside City Hall to protest Ahok's upcoming governorship because he is ethnic Chinese and a Christian.
The protests ended in violence, with some 10 police officers sustaining injuries after being pelted by rocks and cow pies by FPI protestors.
Ahok was not present at City Hall during the protests as he was South Korea attending the closing ceremony of the Asian Games. However, president-elect and former Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo was present during the chaos.
Earlier in the day, the Gerindra Party's Jakarta branch chairman, M Taufik, said that the FPI's riots were not the hardline group's responsibility, but Ahok's for making insensitive remarks toward the people.
Senior political analyst Syamsudin Haris from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said that the comments made by Taufik did not indicate that the party was supporting the FPI. He added that
Gerindra's problem lay solely with Ahok.
'This does not mean the party is openly supporting the FPI or their actions. Gerindra merely dislikes Ahok because he quit the party,' Syamsudin told The Jakarta Post on Friday, adding that the riot was unlikely to have been coordinated by the Red-and-White Coalition that supported the losing presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto.
Ahok quit the Gerindra Party in September in protest of their support of legislation to reinstate the indirect elections of regional heads. (dyl/nfo)
