There have been protests and demonstrations in Jakarta over British band Coldplay’s LGBTQ+ support.
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More than 200 conservative Muslims marched in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday (November 15) demanding the cancellation of a Coldplay concert that night over the British band’s support for the LGBTQ+ community.
The protesters marched about 1 kilometer away from the concert venue in Jakarta, where the band was scheduled to perform, carrying a large banner that read: “Reject, cancel and cancel the Coldplay concert.”
It described the band as LGBTQ+ “propagandists” and said its stance harms “faith and morality”.
The same protest group had also demonstrated at several places in Jakarta last week, including the British Embassy.
Indonesia is secular and has a long history of religious tolerance, but a small extremist group has become more vocal in recent years.
Coldplay is famous for linking its values with its shows, such as the band’s efforts for environmental sustainability. Lead singer Chris Martin is known for wearing rainbow colors and waving gay pride flags during performances.
Protests over LGBTQ+ issues follow the cancellation of concerts across Southeast Asia earlier this year. British pop rock band The 1975 canceled their shows in Jakarta and Taipei in July after the Malaysian government shorten a concert In the wake of the band’s lead singer criticizing the country’s anti-gay laws and kissing a male bandmate during a performance.
Lady Gaga canceled her sold-out show in Indonesia in 2012 due to safety concerns, as Muslim fundamentalists threatened violence if the pop star went ahead with her “Born This Way Ball” concert.
The Asian leg of Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres World Tour” includes a Wednesday concert at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. More than 70,000 tickets were sold in less than two hours when sales began in May.
Jakarta is one of the band’s top streaming hubs, with 1.6 million fans in the city.
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