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Police arrest man who allegedly defamed Indonesian flag
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Indonesian red-and-white flag "Merah Putih" waves in the capital Jakarta (Shutterstock/File)
T
he police said Friday they had arrested the person who allegedly hoisted an Indonesian red-and-white flag emblazoned with Arabic script and two crossed swords during a recent hard-line Muslim rally.
The man, identified only as NF, was arrested last night, said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono.
"We arrested him in Pasar Minggu [South Jakarta]. He is from Klender in East Jakarta," Raden said as quoted by kompas.com, adding that investigators also seized the flag in question and the motorcycle used to carry the flag.
NF will be charged with defaming State symbols. He could be imprisoned for up to five years if found guilty of violating a 2009 law on State symbols, flags and the national language.
Photos and videos of a man hoisting the flag stamped with Arabic script and two crossed swords recently went viral on social media. The incident was said to have happened during an Islam Defenders Front (FPI) rally on Monday.
The FPI argued that in August 2013, the band Metallica visited Indonesia and showed an Indonesian flag with "Metallica, Solo-Indonesia" written on it, and that this too constituted a violation of the same law.
(Read also: Noose tightens around FPI leader)
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, whose hometown is Surakarta, or Solo, attended the concert in Jakarta as Jakarta governor. (saf)
