PUNK'S NO PICNIC
Heads shaved, shoved into lorries and transported to a police compound for a ten day boot-camp just for going to a gig. Who says punk's dead?
You might live in an area where the shop assistants at B&Q sport mohicans and traffic wardens have their nipples pierced (well we do anyway) but there are still a few cultural backwaters where pink dreadlocks and a Crass T-Shirt are enough to provoke a backlash from the moral majority.
One such place is the province of Banda Aceh – a semi-autonomous region of Indonesia. Banda Aceh is the only part of the country that has attempted to impose full Sharia law. Homosexuals have been attacked by the authorities and women forced to cover up. Now it seems it's the turn of punk rock.
The gig took place last Saturday and punks had travelled across the country to attend. The event was broken up and 64 punks, both men and women were detained. They were forcibly shaved and forced into a lake for 'spiritual cleansing'. "We're not torturing anyone," the police chief said. "We're not violating human rights. We're just trying to put them back on the right moral path."
This raid was just the latest crackdown on Aceh punks. Deputy mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal says she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty in her crusade against the punks of Banda Aceh, proudly telling of how she has supervised police raids at cafes and city parks in recent months saying “Their morals are wrong. Men and women gather together, and that is against Islamic Shariah ...They had marijuana and alcohol and everything at that concert,”.
Punks from outside Aceh are likely to be held for ten days then released, those from the area and therefore in the full jurisdiction of the authorities may be held for much longer. None have been charged with any crime.
Solidarity demo outside the Indonesian Embassy on 20th December 11.am 'til 6 pm 38 Grosvenor Square W1K 2HW
Or if you just want to let the embassy know what you think 02074997661
(Indonesia is by no means an exclusively Muslim country and the majority of Muslims there follow moderate versions of the faith)
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