Led by the East Java chapter of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), hardline groups descended on a Surabaya hotel on Friday, intimidating delegates who had planned to attend an international gay conference that was canceled after pressure from Islamic organizations.
“We found 130 people, including foreign participants from 13 countries, who were gathering in the hotel,” said a spokesman for the groups, Arukat Jaswadi, who is also chairman of the Center for Indonesian Community Studies. The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) also took part in the raid.
The radical Islamic groups also demanded that the management of the Oval Hotel ask the guests registered for the event to leave. “How can the hotel management guarantee us that those people are not having a conference in the hotel?” said Arukat.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (ILGA) was scheduled to hold a conference in Surabaya from Friday to Sunday. The event, hosted by gay rights group Gaya Nusantara, had been expected to attract more than 150 activists.
A minor clash occurred during the raid as hotel guests resisted the checks by FPI members. Arukat said scuffles broke out because the ILGA members did not want to cooperate with them and “always argue with us.”
When the ILGA members planned to hold a news conference after the raid, the FPI members prevented them, leading to another skirmish.
“They are undermining us. It’s clear that we don’t want them to be here for the conference, now they want to hold a press conference,” Arukat said.
The groups said they would “keep an eye on the participants and make sure they leave the hotel on Friday afternoon.”
Rafael Dacosta, one of the event organizers, said there was no secret conference. “We canceled the event and the hotel guests are staying while waiting for their flights,” he said.
Rafael said there were only 30 conference participants staying in the hotel — not 130 as claimed by the hardline groups.
An agreement was reached later that participants from Indonesia would leave the hotel on Friday while foreign guests would stay until Sunday.
Separately, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X rejected a suggestion that the event be moved to his city. “For me, we have an ethical problem in this case. If the Surabaya government rejects the conference, so does Yogyakarta,” he said.
“We found 130 people, including foreign participants from 13 countries, who were gathering in the hotel,” said a spokesman for the groups, Arukat Jaswadi, who is also chairman of the Center for Indonesian Community Studies. The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) also took part in the raid.
The radical Islamic groups also demanded that the management of the Oval Hotel ask the guests registered for the event to leave. “How can the hotel management guarantee us that those people are not having a conference in the hotel?” said Arukat.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (ILGA) was scheduled to hold a conference in Surabaya from Friday to Sunday. The event, hosted by gay rights group Gaya Nusantara, had been expected to attract more than 150 activists.
A minor clash occurred during the raid as hotel guests resisted the checks by FPI members. Arukat said scuffles broke out because the ILGA members did not want to cooperate with them and “always argue with us.”
When the ILGA members planned to hold a news conference after the raid, the FPI members prevented them, leading to another skirmish.
“They are undermining us. It’s clear that we don’t want them to be here for the conference, now they want to hold a press conference,” Arukat said.
The groups said they would “keep an eye on the participants and make sure they leave the hotel on Friday afternoon.”
Rafael Dacosta, one of the event organizers, said there was no secret conference. “We canceled the event and the hotel guests are staying while waiting for their flights,” he said.
Rafael said there were only 30 conference participants staying in the hotel — not 130 as claimed by the hardline groups.
An agreement was reached later that participants from Indonesia would leave the hotel on Friday while foreign guests would stay until Sunday.
Separately, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X rejected a suggestion that the event be moved to his city. “For me, we have an ethical problem in this case. If the Surabaya government rejects the conference, so does Yogyakarta,” he said.
