TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) have apprehended 1,240 people during week-long demonstrations near the House of the Representatives (DPR) Building in Central Jakarta from August 25th to 31st, 2025. Among them, 611 were adults and 629 were underage individuals.
The arrests took place with 357 individuals detained on August 25th, 814 on August 28th-29th, and 69 on August 31st. Out of the total detained, 1,113 have been released while the rest are still undergoing legal processes at Polda Metro Jaya.
The Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya, Grand Commissioner Ade Ary Syam Indradi, revealed that 22 individuals were found to have tested positive for narcotics. "Examination results showed that 22 individuals tested positive for narcotics, including 14 for methamphetamine, three for marijuana, and five for benzodiazepine," Ade Ary stated in a written release to journalists on Monday, September 1st, 2025.
Throughout the demonstrations, the police received nine criminal reports and have identified ten individuals as suspects. "Nine have been detained, while one individual is still at large," Ade Ary mentioned.
Monday, August 25th, 2025
Large-scale demonstrations have been ongoing since Monday, August 25th, 2025, in various regions. The initially peaceful protests demanding the reduction of parliament members' allowances resulted in riots and looting across Indonesia.
The call for the August 25th demonstration first emerged through chain messages on Whatsapp groups and social media. The group calling themselves "Indonesian People's Revolution" distributed the call almost a week prior to the event.
They urged people from various sectors including workers, farmers, and students to take to the streets. In their narrative, the group demanded an investigation into alleged corruption cases involving the family of former president Joko Widodo and the impeachment of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Additionally, they amplified the call to dissolve the parliament.
On the day of the event, hundreds of people from various backgrounds without any identifiable group participated in the demonstration. The demonstration lasted until late at night, but not a single member of parliament met with the participants. At 9:15 PM local time, clashes ensued between the police and the demonstrators in the Pejompongan overpass area, Jakarta. The police arrested hundreds of demonstrators.
Thursday, August 28th, 2025
Subsequently, on Thursday, August 28th, 2025, labor unions held a peaceful demonstration with different demands. They presented six demands, including the elimination of outsourcing, rejection of low wages, a halt to employee terminations, expedited discussions on the Labor Bill, Asset Seizure Bill, and a request for the parliament to revise the General Election or Pemilu Law.
The demonstration ended peacefully, and the laborers dispersed around noon. However, following that, waves of students and uniformed school students flocked to the vicinity of the parliament building, demanding the dissolution of the parliament and the withdrawal of excessive parliamentary member allowances, which reached Rp 100 million per month.
The demonstration in front of the MPR/DPR Building turned chaotic. The peak was when a tactical vehicle of the Mobile Brigade or Brimob ran over Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old online motorcycle taxi driver, in the Bendungan HIlir II Flats area, Central Jakarta.
Thursday night, 9:00 PM local time
Affan's death sparked public outrage. Online motorcycle taxi drivers immediately swarmed the Mako Brimob Polda Metro Jaya, in Kwitang, Central Jakarta. The commotion continued into the following day and spread to various regions in Indonesia, such as Bandung, Makassar, Surabaya, and more.
Friday night, August 29th, 2025
Tensions rose on Friday night, August 29th, 2025. Clashes between the demonstrators and security forces at various demonstration sites continued to intensify. As the police continually fired tear gas at the protesters, the crowd began setting several buildings on fire, such as the Regional Representatives Council (DPRD) building, the Regional Police Headquarters, and various public facilities like bus stops and train stations.
Saturday afternoon, August 30th, 2025
On Saturday, August 30th, 2025, a portion of the demonstrators remained at the location, but the situation was relatively calm. However, amidst the chaotic situation, information circulated on social media revealing that several parliament members were actually abroad, including Ahmad Sahroni.
This news further fueled the demonstrators' anger. On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people suddenly stormed the residence of DPR member Ahmad Sahroni in the Tanjung Priok area, North Jakarta. They looted several items belonging to the legislator, including chairs, cabinets, suitcases, watches, some money, a refrigerator, and a suitcase containing dollar bills.
The live broadcast of the looting was aired on Tiktok by several individuals present at the scene. Viewers of the broadcast then fervently suggested continuing the looting to the homes of Eko Patrio, Uya Kuya, and state officials such as Finance Minister Sri Mulyani. These individuals have recently been in the public spotlight due to various controversial statements.
Monday, September 1st, 2025
On Monday, September 1st, 2025, demonstrations recurred in front of the House of the Representatives (DPR) Building. The participants were from student organizations such as the Indonesian National Student Movement (GMNI), the Islamic Student Association (HMI), and the Catholic Student Association of the Republic of Indonesia (PMKRI).
Hundreds of demonstrators questioned the repressive actions by the police, which has resulted in casualties. "The police should not be repressive towards protesters," shouted an orator from a command vehicle.
The demonstrators concluded the protest in an orderly manner. They had dispersed and retreated before the clock showed 6:00 PM local time.
Dede Leni Mardianti and Vedro Imanuel Girsang contributed to this article.
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