The community could not identify the perpetrator, who put the banner up right in front of the Polda Housing Complex, targeting the Lanraki Congregation of the Toraja Church. 

Local Christians removed the banner, but the incident raised more fear and anxiety among the Christians because of increased hate speech activities in the region. The banner’s message also creates a strong feeling of discrimination against the church. 

Article 29, paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution reassures citizens that they have the right to freely choose their religion: “The state guarantees the freedom of each citizen to practice their respective religions and to worship according to their religion and beliefs.”

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.”

Even though the Indonesian government supports the freedom to establish a church and practice worship there, Christians often face persecution in their local communities. Muslim officials have a habit of imprisoning Christians, charging them with blasphemy for insulting Islam. 

Muslims in Palu City, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, recently protested against a Christian event, the 2025 Palu Friendship Festival. Another threat, the Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), an Islamist organization officially banned in July 2017, has re-emerged, posing a challenge to the government. 

Source: https://www.persecution.org