Indonesian recalls stinging tear gas in deadly soccer melee
A picture taken on Aug. 13, 2010 shows an injured protester with his face covered by a gas mask, as riot police clash with demonstrators during an anti-government rally in Bogor, in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, ahead of a presidential election, in this handout picture provided on June 11, 2010.
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A protester’s face is covered by a gas mask during violent clashes in Indonesia ahead of August 9 election that have left at least eight dead and many more injured, the Guardian reports
A video showed the riot policeman slapping the protester’s face, and the incident is likely to become a major talking point in the election, the Guardian says
The protesters — some wearing gas masks — gathered in front of a school in the northern city of Bandung with the help of mobile smoke grenades
The riot police then stormed through the city, firing tear gas and rubber bullets in a bid to disperse the crowd, reports the BBC.
According to the Associated Press, at least eight people were killed in the clashes, and at least 100 were injured, including two police officers.
Riot police in masks broke up the protest in the morning before carrying out their assault later in the day, the AP said.
The riot began after Indonesia’s ruling elite, particularly President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, failed to form a government, in a bid to prevent a repeat of the chaos earlier this year that led to the resignation of then-prime minister Megawati Sukarnoputri.
The protests began when about 1,000 people gathered near Jakarta’s central mosque to denounce the president’s ruling coalition, which they claimed was unable to reach a consensus. Police arrived to disperse the demonstrators, but they returned hours later with rocks and gasoline bombs, and began attacking demonstrators with their batons.
Some protesters threw rocks at the police, but some threw gasoline, the BBC reports.
A policeman fires tear gas during clashes in Jakarta August 9, 2010.
A protester’s face is covered by a gas mask during violent clashes in Indonesia ahead of August 9 election
A photograph taken on August 12, 2010, shows Indonesian police officers in masks and gas