Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia has officially withdrawn its team of cyclists who were pedaling to Bali ahead of the G20 Summit in a campaign touted 'Chasing the Shadow' which highlights the climate effects across Indonesian regions.
The environmental watchdog decided to return to Jakarta and other cities due to the repression it received from mass organizations.
"After our discussion and evaluation, the risks and physical threats are too great," said the Head of the Climate and Energy Campaign of Greenpeace Indonesia, Tata Mustasya, on Thursday, November 9.
The organization assessed that the threats faced by its field team were not just spontaneously coming from local mass organizations and communities, but have indicated the possibility that what they had experienced is a systematic process. "It will continue to happen if this is indeed systematic," he said.
As previously reported, the watchdog's cyclist team found itself embroiled in acts of intimidation as the team cycled through Probolinggo, East Java. Under pressure, the team was also forced to make a statement that Greenpeace would not campaign before the completion of the G20 Summit in Denpasar, Bali.
"We were surrounded by mobs that forced the team to sign a statement that Greenpeace will not campaign until the G20 is over, let alone campaigning in Bali," said Tata.
The G20 Summit slated for November 15 and 16 will be attended by international state leaders and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Climate change will be one of the main discussions between G20 members and European Union representatives.
Greenpeace will continue to voice the issue to G20 leaders arriving in Bali, mainly about climate change and the shift from fossil energy to clean energy. "We will still campaign for it, we are thinking about how to deliver it," he said.