The German Embassy in Indonesia has issued an apology over what has been perceived as a diplomatic faux pas after its diplomat visited the headquarters of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
On Saturday, FPI leaked a photo to the public showing a German diplomat entering the hardline group’s HQ in Petamburan, Central Jakarta that same day. FPI claimed that the unnamed diplomat wanted to express her sympathy for the group, particularly over the highly controversial deaths of six of its members in a reported shootout with the police earlier this month.
“[The visit represented] international attention towards the extrajudicial killing of the six martyrs, which has affected Indonesia’s reputation in the international scene,” FPI Secretary General Munarman said on Saturday.
The German Embassy, following a request for a public explanation by the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry, confirmed that its diplomat visited FPI HQ but denied assertions that the European nation supported the hardline group.
“The German Embassy regrets the perceptions that have emerged from the visit, be it among the public and our [diplomatic] partner in Indonesia. We guarantee that there was no political intention in the visit,” a written statement by the embassy released yesterday reads.
The embassy said the diplomat acted on her own accord and stressed that her actions did not represent that of the mission. She reportedly sought to meet with FPI leaders to get a sense of potential security risks in the nation amid escalating tensions between the hardline group and law enforcement in recent weeks.
The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said the embassy has apologized for the incident and expressed that Germany supports Indonesia’s stance against intolerance, radicalism, and extremism. The diplomat will reportedly be sent back to Germany to face an inquiry.
