FPI Did Protest Demonstration In Front Of Tempo Office

MANADO, ZONAUTARA.com – Front Pembela Islam (FPI) or Islamic Defenders has acted again, on Friday (16/3/2018). This Societal Organization held a protest demonstration in front of Tempo Magazine office, at West Palmerah, South Jakarta. They are protesting the caricatures contained in Tempo Magazine on 26 February 2018. They thought it have harassed the Head of FPI Rizieq Shihab.

The FPI masses threatened that if Tempo magazine did not do clarification and apologize to FPI and Muslims, FPI was ready to ‘bleed’ until Tempo admitted their mistake and apologized.

“Whoever has the idea of ​​making a caricature of our leader, drag him or her here. Please explain why you design that caricature of hooked sex. This is insult to the Muslims!” shouted orator, quoted from journalism.com.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta through its press release condemned the FPI intimidate demonstrations. The protest of FPI should through the right of reply, right of correction, or complaint to Press Council, as regulated in the Press Law.

“The FPI mass action in front of the media office is intimidation, pressure, and threatening the press freedom. This action could make a fearful among journalists and the media to be critical and being independent. It is not impossible others media will also be demonstrated, when producing critical journalistic works about societal organization,” said Head of AJI Jakarta Ahmad Nurhasim.

Tempo’s caricature depicts a man in white robes sitting in front of a woman. FPI interprets a man of ‘tak jadi pulang’ as FPI leader Rizieq Shihab who is involved in legal matters and  still in Saudi Arabia. According to AJI Jakarta, the published of that caricature is protected by the Press Law.

“It is not a crime,” Nurhasim said.

AJI Jakarta added the FPI protest does not understand the Press Law. Masses those force the media to acknowledge the mistakes of journalistic work, it means anti-democratic and anti-freedom of the press.

“The right to judge whether the journalistic work violates the ethics code or not is Press Council,” said Nurhasim.

AJI states that Tempo has performed the press function properly as a social control tool as regulated in Number 4 of the Press Law, develops public opinion based on appropriate, accurate and correct information, monitoring, criticism and suggestions on matters relating to public interest. Tempo has enforces democratic values, promotes the supremacy of law, human rights, and respect for diversity under Number 6 of the Press Law.

AJI Jakarta Advocacy Coordinator Erick Tanjung said, that demonstrations to intimidating the mass media should not be does by the societal organization

“If there is a press dispute, select the right rules by the Press Law, make the right of reply, right of correction, or complain to the Press Council,” Erick said.

Media have to respond immediately the right of reply and correction submitted by the aggrieved.

Editor : Christo Senduk