The leader of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), Habib Rizieq, arrived at National Police Headquarters in Jakarta today at 11 am to be questioned over his accusations that the new rupiah bills issued by the government contain communist symbols. And he did not come alone.
Thousands of FPI members (around 2,000 by one estimate) gathered at Al-Azhar mosque in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta this morning in order to march on National Police Headquarters (just as they had one week previous, although that was to demand the ouster of West Java Police Chief Anton Charliyan).
The massive march caused massive amounts of macet on Jalan Sudirman as police were forced to shut down the slow lane on the main thoroughfare in order to accommodate the FPI marchers.
After arriving at Police Headquarters, FPI members used their loudspeakers to call for the police to stop their investigation into their leader.
“Free Rizieq! Do not criminalize the clergy!” said one of FPI officials over a loudspeaker at the protest, as quoted by Kompas, adding “The police should not be used as a tool for political purposes!”
Rizieq, for his part, claimed to not understand why he was being summoned by the police.
“I also do not know the reason [I am here]. That’s why I want to go inside and question the reason I was called,” Rizieq said as quoted by Tempo.
The reason Rizieq was summoned by police is because of a sermon he gave, which was published by FPI on Youtube, in which Rizieq claimed that the new rupiah bills issued by Bank Indonesia featured communist hammer and sickle symbols (a claim that has been debunked over and over). Rizeq was reported to the police for spreading misinformation leading to public unrest in violation of Indonesia’s law on electronic transactions (UU ITE).
Rizieq is also being investigated in several other criminal complaints, including reports that he insulted the state ideology of Pancasila and that he blasphemed Christianity.
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