Police crack down on muslim protestors
Riot police in Indonesia today used tear gas, warning shots and water cannon to disperse hundreds of Muslims staging protests against the United States outside the Parliament building in Jakarta.
It was the most violent in a series of almost daily demonstrations against the US-led air strikes on Afghanistan and erupted a day after the president of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, said military force should not be used to fight terrorism.
Witnesses said officers hit some demonstrators with batons after ordering about 500 members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front to end a rally outside the legislature. Some protesters threw rocks in retaliation.
Privately owned Metro TV said one of its cameramen was beaten by police.
Witnesses said officers also assaulted at least two news photographers.
Police smashed cars and motorbikes belonging to demonstrators, along with their public address equipment.
Police said 10 people had been injured and 20 arrested.
‘‘I apologize for the excesses of our men,’’ said Jakarta police spokesman Colonel Anton Bachrul Alam.
Today was a public holiday in Indonesia where it is illegal to hold street protests on public holidays.
Some in the crowd carried sticks or held up posters of President George Bush that read: ‘‘Wanted by the Islamic people for murder.’’
Hundreds of police guarded the legislature’s compound, which was protected by razor wire.
Later, about 150 officers in riot gear converged on the Jakarta office of the front, which has also threatened to round up and expel westerners.
Over the weekend, police arrested 27 members of the same group on charges of possessing knives and swords.
Senior police said they wanted to hold talks with front leaders to ensure violence did not occur again. About 50 front members, armed with sticks, stood guard at the building in what appeared be a standoff.
Organisers of today’s protest said they wanted President Megawati Sukarnoputri to condemn the bombing campaign and would continue their protest campaign through the week.
Megawati was one of the first foreign leaders to sign up for the US-led coalition against terrorism after the mass murders by suicide terrorists in the US on September 11.
Her government has tried hard to foster strong ties with Washington in a bid to rebuild its crisis-ridden economy. So far, it has only said it is ‘‘concerned’’ about the attacks and called for restraint.
However, in a speech at Jakarta’s main mosque on Sunday, Megawati signalled that her stance might be hardening.
Although she did not directly criticise the United States or its allies, she said: ‘‘No individual, group or government has the right to look for terrorists by attacking another country’s territory.’’
