Screengrab from Youtube.com
JAKARTA 鈥� A Nazi-themed music video supporting a candidate in next month鈥檚 Indonesian presidential election is causing outrage at home and abroad.
The video, 鈥淚ndonesia听Bangkit,鈥� or 鈥淎wakening Indonesia,鈥� is based on Queen鈥檚 鈥淲e Will Rock You.鈥� It shows musician Ahmad听Dhani听wearing a fascist-style uniform and holding an Indonesian Garuda bird emblem that resembles the Nazis鈥� imperial eagle.
According to the German news magazine Der Spiegel, the military costume is similar to the uniform worn by SS commander Heinrich Himmler.
The video was uploaded on YouTube as a campaign song for听Prabowo听Subianto, a former army general who has been accused of abducting pro-democracy activists in 1998 and instigating deadly riots.
Brian May, Queen鈥檚 lead guitarist, has waded into the controversy, saying 鈥渙f course this is completely unauthorized by us.鈥�
Asvi听Warman听Adam, a noted historian from the Indonesian Science Institute, said the video defiles Indonesia鈥檚 state symbol, the Garuda bird.
鈥淚t is clear that Indonesia鈥檚 Constitution opposes all kinds of fascism as done by Nazis in the past,鈥� he said.
Joshua Oppenheimer, the Oscar-nominated director of the documentary 鈥淭he Act of Killing,鈥� about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across Indonesia in 1965-66 in the name of fighting communism, said the video 鈥渋s not a clever foreign policy move for听Prabowo, unless he really wants to alienate all of Europe 鈥� and the rest of the human community.鈥�
He added, however, that given听Prabowo鈥檚听background, 鈥減erhaps he doesn鈥檛 care.鈥�
In an interview with American journalist Allan听Nairn听in 2001,听Prabowo听said Indonesia needed an 鈥渁uthoritarian regime鈥� and indicated he was willing to be called a 鈥渇ascist dictator.鈥�
The July 9 election pits听Prabowo听against Jakarta Gov.听Joko听Widodo.
Supporters of each candidate created campaign songs for them.听Prabowo听posted the video on his Facebook page and thanked听Dhani听and other artists for their support.
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