P

olice rescued Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama from a mob on Wednesday during a campaign stop in Rawa Belong, West Jakarta.

Ahok was rushed into a public minivan by plain clothed police officers and then to a nearby police station after a group of angry protesters tried to attack him while he was campaigning at a traditional market.

The failed attack was inspired by recent public anger over remarks the governor had made during a speech in Thousands Island regency in September. Some considered them blasphemous.

Ahok had arrived at the site at 4 p.m. He got out from his car and approached citizens at the market to start campaigning.

“Did you make this yourself?” Ahok asked a meatball seller at the market, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

“Yes, I made it myself. Can I take a picture with you? It is rare to see you coming to this place,” the meatball seller said to Ahok.

After chatting with residents, Ahok, who was wearing his iconic checkered shirt, entered a small lane, Jl. Ayub, near the market.

Residents seemed to welcome Ahok’s campaign in the area until dozens of angry protesters carrying a banner that read, “Ahok is Religion Insulter”, approached the location.

“Where is Ahok?” they shouted as they ran toward the governor, who was guarded by five adjutants and his campaign team members.

The plainclothes police officers decided to remove Ahok from the market after seeing that the situation had turned tense with the protesters trying to disrupt Ahok’s activities.

“We are all brothers here. Don’t try to sacrifice Muslims [by protecting Ahok],” one of the protesters, Habib Idrus Al Ashi, who was wearing long white Muslim-style clothing, demanded of the police officers.

“We don’t accept if our village is visited by a religion insulter. We don’t want to make any noise here, but police officers should take him out of here,” Habib said.

The plainclothes officers removed Ahok from the market after they stopped a public minivan that had a number of passengers and asked the driver to empty the vehicle.

Ahok was taken to Kabon Jeruk police office 15 minutes after starting his campaigning at the market. The governor had been slated to visit the Salam Raya area near the market and the Sekertaris River in West Java.

With this incident, Ahok has so far faced two strong public protests in the first four days of his campaign.

Previously, when Ahok was campaigning in Lenteng Agung, Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, a number of men tried to repel him with a banner that read, “Mosque Congregation Rejects Quran Insulter to be Our Leader”, as well as with provocative orations.

“Jagakarsa residents firmly reject Ahok. A Quran insulter must not walk in this area,” said one speaker, who refused to give his name, on Monday. “This is not related to the election. We just don’t want a Quran insulter to be here.”

He also said that Ahok had to be arrested because he had insulted the Islamic holy book.