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N. Sumatra governor fires official after intimidation from angry anti-Ahok crowd
North Sumatra Governor T. Erry Nuradi has dismissed the acting head of the National Unity, Political and Community Protection Agency, Zulkifli Taufik, after thousands came to the governor’s office to express their anger at the official.
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Muslims attend Friday prayer during a protest against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument complex in Jakarta on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the capital in the third major protest in a month against the governor. (AP/Achmad Ibrahim)
North Sumatra Governor T. Erry Nuradi has dismissed the acting head of the National Unity, Political and Community Protection Agency, Zulkifli Taufik, after thousands came to the governor’s office to express their anger at the official.
Earlier, Zulkifli reportedly circulated a letter calling on North Sumatra’s Islamic figures and clerics not to join a mass rally called “Defending Islam III” at Medan Grand Mosque on Friday, to demand police arrest Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama who was a suspect of a blasphemy case.
In response to the crowed, Erry said he would fire Zulkifli. The crowd also urged Erry to publicly state his support for the rally’s cause to have Ahok detained.
The crowd asked Erry about Zulkifli’s letter and when he said he did not know anything about it, the crowed pushed the governor to fire Zulkifli. “Alright, since he is only an acting official, I will remove him from his post tomorrow,” Erry said.
After leaving the governor’s office, the several thousand-strong crowd went to the North Sumatra Prosecutor’s Office to also demand the institution detain Ahok. (evi)
