While some Indonesian celebrities, like Awkarin, have received praise for doing their part to help the student-led protests in Indonesia, which has entered its second week, one celeb is receiving widespread scorn for publicly calling for an end to the protests.
Indonesian actress Cinta Laura Kiehl — who graduated with honors from Columbia University majoring in German literature and psychology — yesterday took to Twitter to express her wish that the protests are carried out peacefully.
(Editor’s note: We’re just as lost as you are on why she decided to attach photos of herself from a modeling shoot in the tweets below…)
“Hopefully today’s demonstration led by university students will be PEACEFUL and the spirit remains for the welfare and advancement of Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI)!” Cinta tweeted to her 3.6 million followers.
Cinta then followed up that tweet with another one posted earlier today, this time taking a stern stance against the protests.
“STOP DEMONSTRATING please! Take pity on the people who want to work and make a living but are facing disruptions!” she tweeted.
It didn’t take long for Cinta to get called out by netizens, who accused her of being insensitive toward the protesters’ plight.
https://twitter.com/fschta/status/1178943661603581952
Cinta Laura has "live laugh love" and "positive vibes only" typographies installed on her kitchen walls. Pass it on https://t.co/54PLdABn62
— Reno Agusta (@renoagst) October 1, 2019
Other users also accused Cinta of hypocrisy, given that she’s an ambassador for an anti-violence campaign against women and children, and that one of the protesters’ official demands is the passage of the Eradication of Sexual Violence bill (RUU PKS).
As of this afternoon, Cinta has deleted the tweet amid overwhelming criticism against her.
Back in the real world, more than 500 people were arrested after clashes in Jakarta yesterday amid nationwide protests against a raft of divisive reforms — including banning pre-marital sex and weakening the anti-graft agency.
The arrests came after a night of pitched street battles between riot police and stone-throwing protesters — many high school and university students — in Jakarta’s sprawling downtown core.
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