Dozens arrested after anti-communist mob attacks Indonesia meeting on 1965 massacre
It came a day after police blockaded the building to stop a public forum on the historic event, in which historians estimate half a million people were killed
A mob opposed to public discussion of Indonesia’s 1965 massacre of communists tried to force its way into a Jakarta building where they believed communists were meeting, injuring five police officers.
Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said 22 people were arrested early on Monday for rioting, while five officers were injured in the confrontation.
The melee came a day after police blockaded the building on Saturday to stop a public forum on the massacre, in which historians estimate half a million people were killed.
Bonnie Setiawan, an organiser of the forum, said about 200 people were trapped in the building, which is home to a legal aid institute, for hours on Sunday night while more than 1,000 people protested outside.
The protesters shouted that the people inside were members of the long-outlawed Indonesian Communist Party and threw rocks, breaking windows, he said.