Authorities Disperse Surabaya Protest Tonight, Dozens Arrested

Police began pushing back protesters from the #IndonesiaSekarat demonstration in front of the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday evening. In the effort to disperse the crowd, a number of individuals were seen being detained by officers. “Protesters, please disperse. The time for expressing opinions in public has expired,” a police commander said over a loudspeaker before advancing to break up the crowd. After issuing three warnings via loudspeaker, police deployed personnel from the Mass Control Unit and the Anti-Riot Unit. A Mobile Brigade water cannon vehicle and a Tactical Vehicle from the Samapta Unit of the Surabaya Metropolitan Police were also deployed to disperse the crowd. “Members of the public, please leave the area. Once again, the public is asked to leave the area,” said Surabaya Metropolitan Police Chief Senior Commissioner Luthfie Sulistiawan at the scene. The crowd was subsequently pushed back from Jalan Gubernur Suryo to Jalan Pemuda. In addition, more than a dozen protesters were seen being arrested by police, including one woman. “Later, at the Surabaya Metropolitan Police headquarters,” said one of the officers who detained a demonstrator. The Head of the Human Rights Campaign Bureau for KontraS Surabaya, Zaldi Maulana, who was accompanying the protesters, was still unable to confirm the exact number of demonstrators arrested. “We are still in the field and continuing to coordinate,” Zaldi said.