Blocked by Police, Students Vow to Continue Protest at Bundaran HI

A mass of students attempting to stage a protest in the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (HI) area was blocked by police officers. Some demonstrators were directed to express their opinions at the House of Representatives (DPR) building instead.

Chairman of the University of Indonesia Student Executive Body (BEM UI), Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan, stated that the group would continue seeking ways for the crowd to reach Bundaran HI. He explained that the action had been planned for that location from the outset.

“Right now, we, the large crowd, are looking for a way to still get there. Why? Because that is our main destination and we will never relocate the demonstration to the DPR or the Presidential Palace,” he said in the Bundaran HI area on Friday (12/6/2026).

According to him, holding a protest at the DPR or the Presidential Palace would be futile, as there would be no one there to listen to the people’s voices. He stated that the action was deliberately intended for Bundaran HI so that many members of the public could see that the country’s condition is not good. This was done because students care about the state of the nation.

“We do not want Indonesia to actually go bankrupt! But it is these very behaviours, if they do not change, that will prove Indonesia will go bankrupt economically, Indonesia will go bankrupt democratically, and finally, Indonesia will go bankrupt morally,” he said.