Police arrest 64 punx at concert, shave their heads and imprison them for ‘re-education’, Aceh (Indonesia)

Dozens of young men and women have been detained for being “punk” and “disturbing the peace” in Aceh, Indonesia’s most devoutly Muslim province. They are being held in a remedial school, where they are undergoing government “re-education”. The 64 punks, many of whom are from as far away as Bali or Jakarta, were picked up on Saturday 10 December night during a local concert. Many young teens sport punk hairstyles, in keeping with worldwide punk culture, but against the norms of the keenly religious in Aceh.

Emerging corporate press photographs show our brother and sister punxs having their mohawks and funky hairstyles shaved off by Aceh’s police and being forced to share cramped prison domitories. They were forced into a communal bath. As the pigs continued to abuse their dignity, the punx were also handed toothbrushes and were ordered to ‘use them’.

No-one had been charged with any crime, and the pigs have no plans to do so. They have now been taken to a remedial prison-school in the Seulawah Hills, about 60km (37 miles) away from the provincial capital Banda Aceh.

An Indonesian pig said: “They will undergo a re-education so their morals will match those of other Acehnese people,” It is the second time punk culture has been cracked down in Aceh by the pigs recently.

“We didn’t arrest them, they haven’t committed any criminal offence,” said the pigs. “They are Aceh’s own children – we are doing this for their own good. Their future could be at risk. We are re-educating them so they don’t shame their parents.”

There is a thriving underground punk music scene in Aceh and across Indonesia. The repression is part of a crackdown against the punk and anarchist movement which began after the imprisonment of Eat & Billy, anarchists who set fire to a bank in an attack against capitalism and state violence. This included a raid on the Dandelion Infoshop in Bandung.

Aceh is one of the most devout Muslim provinces in Indonesia, becoming increasingly more conservative since Islamic law was implemented a few years ago.

Up the Punx.

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