Indonesian Activists Stage Defiant Anti-Abbott Protest In Jakarta

As Indonesia – Australia international relations are thrown into question amidst the upcoming executions of the Bali Nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, activists in Jakarta have staged a defiant anti-Abbott, anti-Australia and strongly anti-drug protest outside the Australian embassy in Indonesia’s capital.

Marching with placards that read, “Go to hell with your druggies”, “Go to hell Abbott”, and “Abbott love druggies, we hate druggies”, among others, the protest was sparked by the comments Prime Minister Abbott made regarding the date of the Bali Nine duo – widely interpreted as a threat on Indonesian aid and relations: “We will be making our displeasure known, we will be letting Indonesia
know in absolutely unambiguous terms that we will feel grievously let
down,” Prime Minister Abbott said last week. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop later called to clarify Abbott’s comments and smooth interactions with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo.

The protest in Jakarta furthers an online campaign that was launched last weekend on social media, #CoinForAbbott and #CoinForAustralia, where protesters collected coins and posted photos, like the one below, in a symbolic gesture to give back Australian aid that was provided in the devastating 2004 tsunami.

*nervously pulls collar*

The protest comes at a particularly unstable time regarding the fate of Chan and Sukumaran – the countless clemency bids submitted to the President have all been rejected, and an interview broadcast on Indonesian TV with the bali nine duo’s families was cut to a mere 45 seconds and remained without subtitles.

Tony Abbott yesterday released a statement regarding an eleventh hour call he made to President Widodo, citing that there may still be hope for the Bali Nine men: “the president absolutely understands our position and I think he is carefully considering Indonesia’s position,” he said, adding,  “I don’t want to raise hope that might turn out to be dashed.”

However, a statement by Bali’s chief prosecutor yesterday did not signal as much hope, “If there’s delay, it’s just a matter of technical issues, not political,” he said.

Via News.com.au
Images by Adek Berry, Yanuar and Aman Rochman via Getty.

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