Demonstrations occurred outside the Singapore embassy in Jakarta and the Singapore consulate-general in Medan in response to Monday's denial of entrance to Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara.
Members of the Islamic Sharia Ideology Defenders (Perisai) were holding the Indonesian flag and giving out flyers condemning Singapore's decision to refuse Somad entry, according to Indonesian media site Detik, as reported by CNA.
According to reports, the demonstrators also demanded that the Singaporean embassy clarify the situation and apologize publicly. In addition, they demanded that Singapore's ambassador to Indonesia be asked to leave the country.
"Singapore's actions indicate that they are publicly accusing Somad of being an extremist. "Singapore accuses Somad of being a terrorist," a demonstrator was quoted by Detik as saying.
CNA reported that the local district police had sent around fifty policemen to keep order as demonstrations persisted despite the rain. According to Detik, they disbanded after roughly two hours of protests.
CNN Indonesia reported that in Medan, members of the Alliance of Islamic Organisations of North Sumatra brought banners to the Singapore consulate-general, with some demanding the expulsion of the Singapore ambassador.
"We are a large nation. Singapore is a tiny nation. Together, they should stand upright," a member of the organization told CNN Indonesia.
"(Somad) is not an offender. In actuality, he is a member of the upper class since he is an intelligent... Everything he claimed is supported by solid academic evidence. Do not allow preconceptions to result in unjust treatment of others."
Chief of police in Medan, Valentino Alfa Tatareda, told CNA that the demonstration was calm and had around 100 participants.
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