Supporters rally for Jakarta’s jailed Christian governor

Supporters of former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, gather at city hall a day after after a court sentenced him to two years in jail following blasphemy charges in Jakarta on May 10, 2107. - Antara Foto/Sigid Kurniawan/Reuters

JAKARTA: Supporters of Jakarta’s Christian governor staged a colourful rally outside city hall Wednesday a day after he was jailed for blasphemy, in a case that has damaged Indonesia’s image as a bastion of tolerant Islam.

A crowd wearing red and white -- the colours of the Indonesian flag -- gathered outside the colonial-era building calling for Basuki Tjahaja Purnama’s release, and singing the country’s national anthem.