"The flag burning was a spontaneous act, and there were no bad intentions by the Banser. The flag was burned to prevent it from being hoisted," Arief said here on Friday.
The flag, containing the Arabic writing of Tawheed, was burned by several members of Nahdlatul Ulama`s (NU`s) youth wing, Gerakan Pemuda Ansor (GP Ansor), during the commemoration of Santri Day on Oct 22 in Garut, West Java.
Arief said that organizers of the event had banned participants from carrying any flags, other than the national Red and White flag.
The event has emphasized the importance of inter-religion tolerance, to raise santri`s (Muslim students) nationalism and embed the values of Pancasila among santri.
"There were no provocative contents. HSN brought the message of peace and tranquility," he added.
However, at the end of the event, a man named Uus Sukmana entered the area carrying a flag bearing the Arabic writing "Tawheed", fastened on a stick.
"The flags was raised in the middle of the venue and sparked an uproar," he noted.
Uus was then brought to the Banser GP Anshor`s tent for further questioning regarding his intentions in carrying the flag. He claimed that the flag was that of Hizbut Tahrir.
After Uus left the area, the flag which was seized by Banser was burned by some of its members, on the grounds that it was a HTI`s flag, an Islamic organization that the Indonesian Government had banned.
The police suspected that the flag was from Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia.
Reporting by Anita Permata Dewi
Editing by Suharto, Andi Abdussalam
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
