Protesters to the streets of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta on Friday demanding the government ban British band Coldplay from entering the country for their upcoming tour. As the band got ready for their concert on Wednesday night the protestors returned to the streets.
The Muslim protestors wanted the band barred from the country because they have voiced support for LGBTIQA+ rights.
Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres world tour arrived in Indonesia on Wednesday evening. The tour began in Costa Rica in March and supports the band’s ninth studio album.
The band will head to Australia for two shows at Perth’s Optus Stadium later this week, their only Australian appearance. They’ve earned place in the record books as the first artists to play two consecutive nights at the massive venue.
Protestors told local news broadcaster WION that they feared the band’s appearance would corrupt local youth. One of the protestors, Hery Susanto, told the broadcaster that he believed the band had a strong association with the LGBTIQA+ communities around the globe.
Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno rejected the calls for the event to be cancelled and on Tuesday said there would be significant security around the event to prevent any disruptions.
On Wednesday night around 200 people joined a second protest against the band’s appearance. The demonstation was held about 1km from the concert event.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country, with 87% of its 270 million people following Islam. The country has always prided itself on its acceptance of religious difference. However, in recent years there has been a growing intolerance of diversity in religious belief.
Watch the news report from WION.
