The Islamist group Persaudaraan Alumni (PA) 212 has called for the cancellation of Coldplay’s upcoming concert in Jakarta, scheduled for Nov. 15, 2023 at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium. The group says that the British band’s support of the LGBT and atheist movements go against Indonesian values and that they would take action to prevent their performance.
PA 212’s deputy secretary-general, Novel Bamukmin, said that his group is ready to stage a massive protest if the concert goes ahead, including blocking the venue and surrounding the airport when Coldplay arrives. He said that this action would be similar to what Islamist groups did in 2012 when they opposed Lady Gaga’s concert in Jakarta, which ultimately led to its cancellation over safety concerns.
“I urge the committee and promoter to immediately cancel their intention to bring Coldplay. If they still insist, then we will hold a big action by blocking the location or we will surround the airport,” Novel told reporters on Saturday.
“If they end up holding a concert, it means that we support them campaigning for LGBT and atheism. Especially since this is close to the 2024 general election. This rejection is a form of us maintaining national unity.”
Novel also hoped that the Indonesian government should take action to prevent the concert from taking place in Indonesia as it was a matter of national security and dignity.
“The government must act quickly to reject Coldplay’s concert in Indonesia next November. This is for the sake of guarding national unity,” he said.
Coldplay is renowned as a champion of progressive values, including LGBTQIA+ rights, even if frontman Chris Martin once admitted that he was “very homophobic” as a kid.
Martin said he has distanced himself from religion, which left him mentally scarred, but has calls himself an “alltheist” – a believer in everything. But that’s probably too novel a concept for Novel and his PA 212 pals to grasp.
At any rate, the Jakarta Metro Police said that they are ready to secure Coldplay’s concert while firing an indirect warning at PA 212 not to bring politics into the event.
There is precedent for conservative groups spoiling the fun in Indonesia. As previously mentioned, in 2012, pop star Lady Gaga was supposed to perform in Jakarta. However, she faced fierce resistance from conservative groups, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which is now defunct but whose members formed new groups like PA 212. Police eventually denied Lady Gaga a permit to perform, citing security concerns.
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