Lady Gaga Show Banned In Indonesia

Lady Gaga has always attracted attention for her somewhat eccentric, and sometimes controversial costume choices, what with her infamous dress made out of raw meat, and the giant egg -along with half naked attendees - the singer used as transport to the Grammys.

Currently touring Asia, Gaga has not toned down her live show, despite some protests. So far there has been only minor opposition, but now Lady Gaga’s sold out Born This Way Ball tour show in Jakarta, Indonesia has been cancelled by national police after they refused her a permit for what they call ‘safety reasons.’

‘Her outfits are too sexy, indulgent and erotic.’ said a Jakarta police spokesman. The move to refuse Gaga’s permit is thought to be in response to protests by National Ulema Council, the top Islamic body in Indonesia. The official line is that the force has ”no problem with Lady Gaga’, but other responses have been slightly less restrained. The Islamic Defenders Front, a political organisation previously claimed her suggestive dance moves and ‘vulgar’ outfits would corrupt young people, and threatened to deploy 30,000 members to physically prevent Lady Gaga from getting off the plane.

Although much of Indonesia is politically moderate, the Islamic Defender’s Front has become increasingly vocal, and thanked the police for banning Lady Gaga’s ‘pornographic’ show, saying ‘she will destroy the morals and culture of Indonesia’

Indonesian fans are far from delighted having bought 52,000 tickets between them - making Gaga’s Jakarta show her biggest on the Asian tour. Human Rights groups, who see the move as a dangerous step back for Indonesia, have also expressed concern, and the show’s promoter expressed sadness that the country was not ‘mature enough to be able to separate our own moral values from arts and culture.’