Latest Condition of UI Student Protesters Held Back Before Bundaran HI
Student protesters from the University of Indonesia (UI) continue to hold a demonstration on Jalan Sudirman, Central Jakarta. They are being held back at Tosari while attempting to stage a protest at the Bundaran HI roundabout.
Observations at the scene on Friday (12/6/2026) at 17:40 WIB showed the crowd still holding its ground, with protesters from other campuses beginning to join. Some participants were seen sitting near the police barricade, while others moved to the side of the road.
In addition to students, a group of online motorcycle taxi drivers also joined the demonstrators. They remained at the location and continued trying to pass through the police barricade towards Bundaran HI.
Police were seen escorting the action, with some officers sitting alongside the students. Metal barriers were erected in the middle of the road. Indonesian Military personnel were also present, positioned behind the police barricade.
Students continued to deliver speeches at the location, taking turns to voice their demands. The protesters’ demands are:
Stop the waste of the state budget (APBN)
Lower the prices of basic necessities and fuel
Halt the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme and the construction of the Red-and-White Village Cooperatives
End militarisation in the civilian domain
President Prabowo must stop evading and acknowledge the government’s mistakes.
Previously, Polda Metro Jaya explained its reasons for urging the student protesters not to hold a demonstration at the Bundaran HI area in Central Jakarta. Police emphasised that they continue to support citizens’ constitutional right to express their aspirations.
The Head of Public Relations for Polda Metro Jaya, Commissioner Budi Hermanto, affirmed the police’s commitment to safeguarding and guaranteeing the freedom of public expression, including the students currently voicing their aspirations. He stated that expressing opinions in public is a constitutional right fully guaranteed by law.
“However, the execution of protests in the DKI Jakarta area must comply with applicable regulations, one of which is DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation No. 232 of 2015. This rule serves as a pacing and balancing instrument to balance the demonstrators’ right to speak with the rights of hundreds of thousands of other Jakarta residents to comfort, smooth mobility, and a sense of security,” explained Commissioner Budi Hermanto in a statement.
As the main rationale for this appeal, the police stressed compliance with Article 6 of Law No. 9 of 1998 on the Freedom to Express Opinions in Public. The regulation explicitly mandates that in exercising their rights, every citizen has a legal obligation to respect the rights of others and maintain public order.
“Therefore, constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression must go hand in hand with respect for the mobility rights of the wider community,” he said.