Demonstration in Surabaya Turns Chaotic, 10 Arrested

A demonstration held by the Anti-Capitalism Front in front of the Grahadi Building in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday, 26 June 2026, ended in chaos. As of the time this report was filed, information circulating indicated that 10 people had been arrested by the police. The civil society coalition demonstration, which used the hashtag #IndonesiaSekarat, began at 15:00 WIB. The crowd subsequently burned various objects and threw stones at the police officers on guard. The protesters also pushed against the barrier fence of the Grahadi Building, which is currently under renovation, at around 18:00 WIB. Police attempted to disperse the crowd by herding them towards the Balai Pemuda. “They continued to commit acts of vandalism. It endangered the public and themselves. Therefore, we were forced to take firm action by pushing the crowd back,” said Surabaya Police Chief, Commissioner Luthfie Setiawan, to journalists. Shortly afterwards, several demonstrators were seen being arrested by police on suspicion of being provocateurs. One of them was a female activist. However, the police have not yet provided details of her identity. “Currently, data collection and examination are still underway. Those found guilty will be processed according to the applicable law,” said the Police Chief. The Coordinator of the Surabaya KontraS Working Body, Fatkhul Khoir, confirmed the arrests. He stated that 10 people had been arrested by the police following the demonstration. “As of 22:00 WIB, 10 people have been reported to our complaints hotline. They were taken to the Surabaya Police Headquarters,” said Djuir, as he is familiarly known. However, Djuir did not yet know the exact identities of the arrested demonstrators. His team is still coordinating. Today’s demonstration criticised various government policies and programmes. The protesters demanded the cessation of two priority government programmes, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) and the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP). The spokesperson for the Anti-Capitalism Front action, Septia Rahma, stated that the current government policies do not side with the people. They brought 11 demands, including lowering the prices of basic necessities and fuel, stopping the MBG and Red and White Village Cooperatives, revoking the Police Law and the Indonesian National Armed Forces Law, and creating decent employment opportunities. “We will continue to extend our resistance, and will keep holding actions that may have even higher tensions than today’s,” she said.