Lady Gaga will have to cancel a June 3rd show in Jakarta, Indonesia after she was denied a permit due to protests from religious and political leaders, the Associated Press reports.
Islamic hard-liners and leaders along with conservative politicians spoke vehemently against the suggestiveness of Gaga's performance – from her clothes to her dance moves – fearing that it might sully the moral fabric of the country and corrupt the nation's youth.
The criticisms were also coupled with threats of physical force to keep Gaga from even stepping off the plane, leaving police worried that they would be unable to guarantee security, according to national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar. The police then recommended that the permit for Gaga's Born This Way Ball show be denied.
In Jakarta it is common for concert permits to be issued well after tickets have gone on sale, as was the case for Gaga's show. The sold-out concert at the 52,000-seat Gelora Bung Karno stadium was to be the biggest on Gaga's Asian tour. With local promoter Michael Rusli unavailable for comment, it is uncertain whether fans will be refunded.
"I'm very disappointed," one ticket-holder, Mariska Renata, told the AP. Succumbing to the wishes of "troublemakers" only gave them more power, she said: "We are mature enough to be able to separate our own moral values from arts and culture."
Gaga kicked off the Born This Way Ball in Seoul, South Korea at the end of April amidst similar protests from Christian groups, which forced authorities to make the concert adults-only.
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