Brawl breaks out in court

JAKARTA: A brawl broke out between members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the City Forum (Forkot) at the South Jakarta District Court on Wednesday.

No injuries were reported during the incident.

It started when some 50 Forkot members tried to enter the court building to attend the trial of their colleagues, Mixilmina Munir and Aris Wardoyo. However, guards rejected their request due to the limited number of entry passes.

When they insisted on entering the building the situation became heated. At that point, a member of Forkot yelled Allahu Akbar (Allah the great), which upset FPI members.

About 60 FPI members were at the court accompanying their lawyer who was filing a suit against the Jakarta Police chief over the arrest of 12 members of the Surakarta Islam Defenders Front (FPIS) during a demonstration on Oct. 15.

Several FPI members accused the Forkot member who had yelled the sacred words of being drunk, according to FPI leader, Taufik.

They then chased the Forkot members into the courthouse yard. The Forkot members finally left the court building after police intervened in the fight.

The court had ordered visitors to use passes when entering the building, particularly during the trials of Mixil and Aris, which were sometimes highlighted by protests.

Two months ago, three of the defendants' lawyers were beaten by police when they insisted on entering the court chief's room.--JP