A group of protesters at Car Free Day in Jakarta yesterday likened Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to Shylock, a Shakespearean antagonist from The Merchant of Venice who is portrayed as a loan shark in the play. This was in response to Abbott reminding Indonesia of the $1 billion Australia sent to Aceh, after the devastating 2004 tsunami, while appealing to get Australian duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran off of death row.
Abbott’s remarks was met with fierce criticism in Indonesia with many saying it was highly unethical for the PM to link humanitarian aid for innocents to saving the two Bali 9 drug smugglers.
Indonesians from Aceh to Jakarta and beyond responded by delving into their own pockets and taking to the streets to collect coins as a symbolic act to “refund” the aid money.
Of course, Abbott’s remarks also drew the ire of Indonesia’s massive legions of social media users. #CoinforAustralia became a trending topic on Twitter with many Indonesians criticizing and uploading photos showing their displeasure at the Australian Prime Minister.
Here are just a few of the photos uploaded with the hashtag #CoinforAustralia on Twitter:
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