May Day 2026 Crowds Begin to Fill DPR RI Main Gate, Traffic Diverted

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Thousands of protesters from the International Labour Day (May Day) action in 2026 filled the area around the Main Gate of the DPR RI in Jakarta on Friday (1/5/2026). Those united under the Aliansi Gerakan Buruh Bersama Rakyat (GEBRAK) and Konfederasi KASBI arrived via a long march from the direction of Gerbang Pemuda towards Jalan Gatot Subroto. Based on observations by Kompas.com at the location around 1:40 PM WIB, the atmosphere along the road from Gerbang Pemuda to the front of the parliamentary complex appeared extremely crowded. The crowd wore all-red attire, carried organisation flags, and walked in formation while waving banners and posters of demands. Most vehicle lanes were blocked by the rows of marching workers, while several command vehicles were positioned in the middle of the group. “Yes, it’s closed because there are quite a lot of them,” said one police officer at the location. From atop the command vehicles, several orators took turns delivering speeches using large loudspeakers. Their voices rang out loudly, leading chants that were met with unified shouts from the participants. Several large banners were unfurled at the front lines, including those reading “Withdraw Indonesia’s Membership from the Board of Peace”, “Implement a National Decent Wage Based on Living Needs”, and “Years of Work Ended Without Dignity”. There were also posters reading “Realise Universal Social Security for All People”. In addition, the protesters carried various posters featuring images of resistance figures, as well as red flags with labour organisation logos fluttering along the road. On the other side, a replica in the shape of a human figure pushed on a wheeled board was visible, serving as one of the symbols of criticism in the action.