Bali bans Dutch expats whose run club allegedly excluded Indonesians

bbc.com

2 pointsaeuropean124 comments

Indonesia's immigration authorities have banned two Dutch nationals for organising an illegal running event that had also allegedly discriminated against locals.

The run organised by the expatriate-focused group Entourage Bali drew heated backlash after testimonies circulated online that the club had appeared to reject Indonesian applicants while accepting foreigners.

Would the government have reacted the same way to a Korean hiking club or a yoga class restricted to only women? I suspect there is some selective enforcement going on here.

Perhaps, but given the Dutch colonial past in Indonesia it doesn’t come as a surprise. I have no sympathy for racists or any expats who behave poorly in their guest country, but I do have sympathy for just how devastatingly dumb these guys clearly are.

It is always difficult to balance discrimination concerns against freedom of association -- even in those countries that recognize a right to freedom of association.

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