FKPPAI condemns unrest during student protest at Yogyakarta Police Headquarters

“Students are synonymous with critical thinking and the ethics of struggle, not with anger and destruction,”

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Chairman of the Indonesian Youth Forum for Nature Lovers (FKPPAI), Alam Slamet Barkah, condemned the unrest during a protest involving students at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters on 24th February 2026.

The academic from the Kusuma Negara Teacher Training and Education College believes that the unrest, which also involved vandalism, does not reflect the intellectual tradition of student movements.

“Students are synonymous with critical thinking and the ethics of struggle, not with anger and destruction,” Alam said in a statement confirmed in Jakarta, Thursday.

He further said that the unrest cannot be justified under any circumstances, especially since it occurred during the holy month of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is a month for restraining anger and passions, not a month for displaying brutality,” he said.

In addition, he reminded that freedom of expression never provides space for criminal acts.

“Anyone who violates the law must be prepared to face the legal consequences,” he said.

Previously, a number of protesters, including students, held a demonstration in response to the death of a teenager in Tual, Maluku, at the hands of members of the Polri Mobile Brigade.

The demonstration ended in unrest and also damaged the eastern fence of the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters.

During the activity, the Yogyakarta Regional Police briefly arrested three students. The three were then handed over to the university authorities after coordination.