Indonesia’s notorious Islamic Defenders Front have a new target — international nongovernmental organization Greenpeace, which has been waging a high-profile battle against the country’s palm oil industry.
The group, known as the FPI, on Wednesday added their voices to the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR), another group that often resorts to thug-like tactics to further their cause, and politician Effendy Choirie of the Muslim-based National Awakening Party (PKB)
Salim Alatas, head of the Jakarta chapter of the FPI, said they would evict Greenpeace from Indonesia if the government failed to act.
“As a foreign NGO, Greenpeace has violated the law,” Salim alleged. “The government must be firm.”
He said the FPI had received numerous reports from the public and mass organizations about Greenpeace’s “wrongdoings” in Indonesia.
He said Greenpeace was an illegal entity because it had not registered with the Jakarta municipal government’s list of accredited organizations.
Greenpeace has previously denied the accusations.
The FPI also accused the NGO of using false data to discredit Indonesia.
“It is obvious that Greenpeace is a foreign country’s representative to put pressure on our country,” Salim claimed.
He added that Greenpeace received “blood money” from European lotteries.
“The money is ‘haram,’ it’s money from gambling. Greenpeace is wrong. The FPI will kick them out of Indonesia,” he said.
The FBR, which staged a show of force involving about 100 members in an attempt to intimidate Greenpeace workers on July 14, has vowed to continue its campaign.
Greenpeace has aggressively campaigned against powerful palm oil and paper companies — most notably Asian Pulp and Paper — that are widely blamed for rampant destruction of Indonesian forests and threatening critically endangered species like orangutans and tigers.
