Jakarta Police say they have not received any notification so far regarding a rally reportedly planned for Friday, which, according to National Police chief Tito Karnavian, has the potential to provoke an attack against the current administration.
akarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono said on Thursday that police had not received any notification so far regarding a rally reportedly planned for Friday, which, according to National Police chief Tito Karnavian, has the potential to provoke an attack against the current administration.
"We have called our intelligence officials, and they said there was no notification on tomorrow's protest. However, if there is a protest tomorrow, we are ready," Awi said at a press conference in Jakarta.
He added that based on regulations, protesters should have submitted a notification to police three days before the protest.
(Read also: Security measures prepared to prevent expulsion of Jokowi in upcoming rallies)
However, Awi said staging a protest was a civil right, so police would not arbitrarily disperse people wishing to protest on Friday.
Awi revealed that 27,000 personnel were on stand-by for to secure any protest in the city.
They would be deployed to various spots of the capital, including Jl. Sudirman, Jl. MH Thamrin and the House of Representatives, he added.
On Nov. 4, hundreds of thousands of people, led by Muslim conservative groups, staged a rally in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, demanding the government pursue legal proceedings against Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy.
The conservative groups said earlier they would organize another rally on Nov. 25, demanding the police detain Ahok.
A few days ago, the groups said they would stage a rally on Dec. 2 instead. (jun)
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