KontraS: Police Arrest 24 Protesters in Surabaya
A demonstration under the banner #IndonesiaSekarat in front of the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya descended into chaos on Friday, 26 June 2026. The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) Surabaya reported that 24 protesters were arrested, including a female activist.
Zaldi Maulana from the KontraS Surabaya Advocacy Team recounted the chronology. According to him, the protest was proceeding peacefully at 3.30 p.m. Western Indonesia Time. However, police began to surround the protesters from the west side of Jalan Gubernur Suryo with water cannon vehicles, isolating and firing upon the crowd with water and tear gas while simultaneously pushing the mass of protesters back towards the fountain monument at 7.10 p.m.
According to Zaldi, police officers not in uniform were seen around the Fountain Monument, positioned in the midst of the action. “After pushing back the protest, police began arresting demonstrators accompanied by sporadic violence and forcibly dragged them into the Grahadi building,” Zaldi stated on Saturday, 27 June 2026.
Zaldi continued that police officers not in official uniform carried out random arrests. As a result, many people who were not actually doing anything were also chased and arrested without clear reason. “As of Saturday at 1.26 a.m., we recorded 24 people arrested by police, including one woman. They were taken to the Surabaya Metropolitan Police Headquarters,” Zaldi said.
Based on this series of events, the Advocacy Team of the Anti-Criminalisation Network and KontraS urged the police to release all forcibly arrested #IndonesiaSekarat demonstrators. Furthermore, they also have the right to receive adequate legal assistance. “We also urge the Surabaya Metropolitan Police not to commit violence against demonstrators who were forcibly arrested without clear evidence,” he stated.
The demonstration criticised various government policies and programmes. They demanded the cessation of two priority government programmes, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) and the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP).
Previously, the Chief of the Surabaya Metropolitan Police, Senior Commissioner Luthfie Setiawan, stated that police attempted to disperse the crowd by directing them towards the Balai Pemuda. “They continued to commit vandalism. That endangers the public and themselves. Therefore, we were forced to take firm action by pushing the crowd back,” he said.
Shortly thereafter, several protesters were seen being arrested by police on accusations of being provocateurs. One of them was a female activist. However, 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,” the Police Chief said.