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US Embassy tightens security during anti-Ahok rally
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Rally participants sit in front of the US Embassy in Central Jakarta while waiting for Friday prayers to start. Security at the embassy has been tightened during the rally. (JP/Safrin La Batu)
S
ecurity at the US Embassy on Jl. Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta was tightened on Friday during a large-scale rally against Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama at the nearby National Monument (Monas) Park.
The front of the embassy was blocked off by barbed wire and dozens of military officers stood guard.
(Read also: Police consider security at anti-Ahok rally sufficient)
The US Embassy is adjacent to City Hall and both are located in the immediately vicinity of Monas, where hundreds of thousands of people participated in the rally.
The rally participants said Friday prayers together in the area, including in front of the US Embassy.
In a recent advisory, the US Embassy suggested US citizens in the country avoid areas where demonstrations were being held. It also said the consular section would be closed on Friday.
“Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence,” the embassy warned.
Clad mostly in white, rally participants flocked to Monas early in the morning. Most came from outside Jakarta and arrived in the capital on Thursday.
The rally demanded that Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent who has been named a blasphemy suspect, be immediately arrested. (jun)
