TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PA 212 deputy secretary-general Novel Bamukmin offered an apology for the damage caused by sympathizers of Rizieq Shihab in Soekarno-Hatta Airport this morning, November 10, 2020.

Novel opined that the huge mass from FPI and PA 212 who came to the airport to greet the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader was hard to control.

“The masses cannot be controlled as there is a sea of people. We never invite them and form a committee so everything is spontaneous and beyond our control,” said Novel when contacted by Tempo on Tuesday.

Novel admitted that his side had never issued an appeal to prevent the public from greeting Habib Rizieq at the airport. This was considered to be the cause of the crowds.

He also apologized for the action of the mass who insisted on entering the toll road using motorcycles to get to the airport. “I did not monitor it, too. We apologize for every flaw,” Novel said.

Thousands of people from FPI and PA 212 who greeted Rizieq Shihab at Soekarno-Hatta Airport caused damages to a number of facilities at Terminal 3. Tempo observed that many seats were broken and plants were damaged.

“This is not an anarchist act, but many people pack the area. There are huge crowds and they stand on the chairs in large numbers so of course they are broken,” said the airport operator AP II spokesperson, Yado Yarismano, to Tempo on Tuesday, November 10, 2020.

Read: Mahfud MD Calls for Rizieq Shihab Followers to Avoid Creating Chaos

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH