Calls in Indonesia to curb religious intolerance after mob attacks on Christian groups
Indonesia 's West Sumatra province has reignited concerns over growing religious intolerance, with rights advocates warning that systemic discrimination continues to undermine freedom of worship in the Muslim-majority nation.
The July 27 incident in the city of Padang saw a group of men storm a private home used by about 30 Christian students for weekly religious study – a makeshift arrangement due to the absence of Christian teaching in their public schools.
A viral video showed the mob kicking fences, breaking windows and demanding the children disperse, with some men seen carrying wooden planks.
According to Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Padang, the incident injured two children: one student aged 13 was kicked in the back, while another, aged 11, 'suffered serious injuries after being hit with a wooden block, leaving the child unable to walk'.
'Other children are experiencing severe trauma, they are scared, crying and hiding. This is not just destruction, this is an assault on humanity,' Diki Rafiki, director of the LBH Padang, said in a statement on July 28.
'The state must not bow to pressure from intolerant groups. Law enforcement is a constitutional obligation. We must not allow hate-based violence to become a culture that is considered normal.'
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