04 November 2016•Update: 05 November 2016
By Ainur Rohmah
TUBAN, Indonesia
A mass protest to demand police investigate alleged blasphemy by the governor of Jakarta turned violent Friday hours after leaders appeared to meet agreement with Indonesia's vice president.
As the rally approached the 6 p.m. (1000GMT) cut-off time, some protesters -- angry that their representatives could not meet President Joko Widodo -- started to throw stones and bottles at police after representatives left their State Palace meeting.
Police responded with tear gas and water cannon after protesters chanting "war" and "revolution" broke through barricades in front of the palace.
Television images showed two police trucks burning, but by 8 p.m. news site Detik.com had reported police as saying that just one arrest had been made and the situation had been brought under control.
Later Friday, local media reported that hundreds of people vandalized a minimart and motorbikes in an area next embattled Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama's residence.
Tempo.co reported that the crowd attempted to breach a barricade that security forces had erected to safeguard Ahok's housing complex.
Fighting is reported to have subsequently broke out with the mob pelting the security forces with stones.
Trouble began at the Presidential palace when a protest leader presented the results of the meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla through a tannoy.
"President Jokowi is still not ready to accept us," he said.
"The vice president offered and ensured that we all give time to the police chief [investigate the case] for two weeks," he added.
Kalla earlier told reporters that he had met protesters' representatives and the case would proceed according to the applicable law.
"The law will be enforced firmly and quickly in accordance with the rules" Metro TV reported him saying.
The representatives said they had accepted the result.
"Yes, the legal process will be carried out quickly," said cleric Bachtiar Nasir, one of the rally's organizers
The governor is accused of publicly insulting Islam, however he says he was calling for people not to be “deceived” by those using a Quranic verse, Al Maidah: Chapter 51, not that the verse itself was insulting.
During Friday's protest, only hijab wearing female police were employed, while around 500 male police wore white skullcaps and recited Asmau Allah al-Husna (the 99 names of Allah) in fear of the demonstration turning violent.
Indonesian security forces had been placed on alert as around 100,000 white-clothed demonstrators -- many brandishing the flags of Islamic organizations -- flooded into the capital to push for criminal proceedings.
Fears had been raised after images of Syrian militant calling for Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to be shot were uploaded to the Internet, and four helicopters could be seen flying low Thursday around the presidential palace -- one of several major protest sites -- in preparation for any violence.
