Protests remain militant, as student and union leaders fail to gain control of the grassroots

~ Cristina Sykes ~

Protesters across Indonesia have launched another day of confrontational demonstrations, with the uprising that has gripped the country in recent days showing no signs of abating. Initially opposing both steep tax hikes and lavish wage- and expense increases for members of parliament, the protests took a militant turn after brutal footage showed paramilitary police running over a delivery driver during a demonstration on 28 August.

The following day, rebellions erupted spontaneously in the capital Jakarta and many other cities including Makassar, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Medan, and Pontianak. Demonstrators have targeted police posts, police stations, and the House of Representatives (DPR) office. By the weekend, protests also spread to the private homes of DPR members and political party offices.

At least six more protesters have been killed since then, more than 700 arrested, and hundreds injured. However, footage has also emerged of police making hasty retreats away from advancing crowds and their projectiles. While the government has not resorted to all-out power outages, there have been phone signal disruptions at the demonstration sites and disruptions to internet access and digital information flows.

“The demonstrations no longer emerged from the consolidation of formal student organisations and labour unions, but emerged organically from the people themselves”, said Indonesian anarchists in online correspondence. “Furthermore, support for violent actions increased, whereas in the past, we anarchists were always scapegoated and blamed by the public, the press, and the government”.

Since 2019, Indonesia has experienced waves of uprisings that have ebbed and flowed. Anarchists have always been at the forefront of street battles as well as influential in organising resistance to evictions and land struggles, student and pupil movements, football supporters, and the underground music scene.

Mainstream media reported that Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto has cancelled his trip to China, while political parties agreed to cut lawmakers’ benefits in a bid to calm the rebellion.

“This is not just a protest—it’s a collective eruption of rage against rising housing taxes, endless corruption, and the military-police dogs of the state”, said another anarchist statement. “Usually some liberal union or opposition party controls the narratives but not this time. We give it up to the youngsters. We can only stimulate them to be more uncontrollable”.

As the situation continues to escalate, anarchists are raising funds to establish a network of safe houses for protesters and frontline activists at risk. A page maintained by our friends at Organise Magazinecollects the latest statements from protesters and additional background articles.