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| Southeast Asia |
| Firebrand Indonesian Cleric Claims Discrimination in COVID-19 Violation Trial |
| 2021-03-27 |
| [BenarNews] A hard-line Indonesian holy man slammed "discrimination" in enforcement of quarantine laws as he appeared in court for the first time on Friday to respond to charges that he violated COVID-19 restrictions by urging others to attend his gatherings last year. Muhammad Rizieq Shihab, ...less formally Rizieq Shihab, he founded the FPI for nefarious purposes... founder of the now-disbanded Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) ...headquartered in Jakarta, FPI began agitating for national imposition of sharia law in 1998. The group quickly attracted patronage — including funding and military training for its paramilitary arm, Laskar Pembela Islam (Islamic Defenders Paramilitary, LPI)— from Indonesia’s army and Jakarta’s police. They’re fond of vigilante actions and Antifa-style protests with violence... vigilante group whose trial opened earlier this month, said police did not take action against many large gatherings that flouted COVID-19 protocols. He cited crowds who got close to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo when he visited East Nusa Tenggara province last month, as an example. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 A fellow traveler of certain people? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2021-03-27 06:08 |