Clashes Erupt as Police Fire Water Cannon at Demonstrators, Crowd Forced Back on Both Sides

A mass demonstration demanding action from the government continued into Thursday evening. Police pushed protesters back from the front gate of the DPR/MPR building on Thursday afternoon (27/8/2026).

Police began firing water cannon to disperse the crowd, which consisted of various groups still holding their ground in front of the parliament building.

According to Republika’s observations, protesters began throwing stones and bottles of mineral water, as well as burning used cardboard in front of the DPR. Shortly afterwards, at around 6.59 p.m. Western Indonesian Time, water was sprayed repeatedly from inside the DPR building.

After that, a group of police officers emerged from the front gate of the DPR building. The crowd was pushed back towards two sides: towards Pejompongan and towards Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) or Senayan.

Officers formed a barricade equipped with full gear, including shields and wooden batons, to beat back the crowd. Meanwhile, the Cawang–Grogol inner-city toll road in the direction of Slipi was closed by officers.

Earlier, a number of protesters were seen dispersing from the front of the DPR RI building at a run. Police were also seen urging the public to return to their respective homes. However, instead of dispersing, a number of demonstrators resumed their action.