Indonesian leader Joko Widodo slams French President Emmanuel Macron as Muslim protests grow
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has slammed French President Emmanuel Macron as protests in the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation grow.
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Trouble is brewing after Indonesian President Joko Widodo “strongly condemned” French President Emmanuel Macron after the latest attacks in France.
It comes as around 3,000 people demonstrated Monday outside the French embassy in Jakarta in Indonesia — the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation — according to police.
Protesters burned pictures of Macron and waved placards emblazoned with a shoeprint on his face and others depicting the French leader with devil horns.
Widodo, leader of the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, also hit out at freedom of expression that “hurts the honour, purity and sacredness of religious values and symbols”.
France has been rocked by multiple deadly attacks in recent weeks suspected to be linked to Islamist extremism, including the latest at a church in Nice Thursday when a knifeman killed three people.
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Macron’s comment came after an extremist this month beheaded a teacher in a Paris suburb for showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a class on free speech.
The French leader’s promise to “not give up cartoons” in defence of freedom of expression sparked a wave of protests across the Muslim world and calls to boycott French goods in several nations.
“First of all, Indonesia strongly condemns the violence in Paris and Nice,” Widodo said.
“Second, Indonesia also strongly condemns the statement by the French president which has insulted Islam, hurt the feelings of Muslims across the globe and could divide the unity of religious believers … just when the world needs unity to face the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The cartoons at the heart of Macron’s remarks were those published multiple times by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, whose offices were attacked in 2015 by Islamist extremists.
“Freedom of expression that hurts the honour, purity and sacredness of religious values and symbols cannot be justified and must be stopped,” Widodo said.
“Linking a religion with an act of terrorism is a big mistake. Terrorism is terrorism, terrorists are terrorists. Terrorism has nothing to do with any religion.”
#Foto Massa PA 212 menggelar aksi di Kedubes Prancis di Jakarta, Senin (2/11). Mereka membawa beragam poster kecama untuk Presiden Prancis, Emmanuel Macron. Ini momennya:
— detikcom (@detikcom) November 2, 2020
Foto: Rengga Sancaya/detikcom pic.twitter.com/8tMoQ6pSiz
This week, Indonesia’s foreign ministry summoned France’s ambassador over Macron’s remarks, while protests were held in several major cities.
Meanwhile more than 50,000 people took part Monday in the biggest demonstration yet in Bangladesh over French President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of the right to publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
The rally which started at Bangladesh’s biggest mosque was stopped from getting close to the French embassy where security has been stepped up amid mounting tensions over Macron’s comments.
LOOK: Activists and supporters of the Islami Andolon Bangladesh, an Islamist political party, held a protest calling for the boycott of French products and denouncing French president Emmanuel Macron for his comments over Prophet Mohammed caricatures.
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) October 27, 2020
📷 AFP/Munir Uz Zaman pic.twitter.com/fNgNLxGkaz
The march was more than two kilometres long and crowds — ignoring coronavirus social distancing rules — carried effigies of Macron, caricatures and a fake coffin for the French president.
Police estimated some 50,000 people took part in the third major anti-France protest in the past week while organisers said there were more than 100,000.
Protesters chanted “We are all soldiers of the prophet”, “We are not afraid of bullets or bombs” and “Macron, you are in danger.”
They burned one effigy of the French leader.
People of #Bangladesh express their rage by slapping on the poster of #Macron. His provocative act of denouncing #Islam has raised anger over the #Muslim world.#BoycottFranceProduct #IslamoPhobia_Is_Terrorism #IslamophobiainFrance pic.twitter.com/Q9wibLE30S
— Basherkella - বাà¦à¦¶à§‡à¦°à¦•à§‡à¦²à§à¦²à¦¾ (@basherkella) November 1, 2020
Police put up a barbed wire barricade across a major road to stop the demonstrators getting close to Dhaka’s embassy district and the event broke up without trouble.
Demonstrations have been held in many Muslim majority countries after Macron defended France’s freedom of speech laws.
Islam forbids any depictions of Mohammed.
Originally published as Indonesian leader Joko Widodo slams French President Emmanuel Macron as Muslim protests grow