Tuesday, March 6, 2012

‘Stop provoking end of FPI’, media told

Dozens of people under the Forum Nusantara banner protested in front of the Kompas Gramedia building in Palmerah, West Jakarta, on Tuesday, claiming the newspaper had provoked people to urge the disbandment of certain groups.

“Let the mass organizations exist, as long as they do not do harm,” group spokesman Amrizal said at the rally.

The media has recently reported on groups that both support and oppose the disbandment of some organizations, stemming from the Palangkaraya people’s movement in Central Kalimantan that rejected the establishment of a local chapter of hard-line group Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

The FPI is a notorious hard-line group known for its violent crackdowns on nightclubs and massage parlors, which it deems “sinful places.”

Some community groups in several regions, including Jakarta, followed suit and staged “Indonesia without FPI” protests last month.

Forum Nusantara said that in the multidimensional crisis in Indonesia, the role of media supposed to provide information instead of developing public opinion through what they claimed as ‘unobjective’ articles.

Group members claimed that the articles created religious and cultural conflicts.

They urged the media to be more objective and stop publishing articles on the disbandment of Islamic organizations.

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