Police Arrest 20 After Protest Turns Violent Outside Surabaya's Grahadi Building

Police arrested 20 people suspected of involvement in a riot during a demonstration outside the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya on Friday evening. The situation around the area gradually became conducive after officers deployed tactical vehicles and water cannon to disperse the crowd.

The protest, organised under the name Surabaya Melawan, began in the afternoon. The crowd moved from the Submarine Monument towards the Grahadi State Building to voice 11 demands, including rejecting the Free Nutritious Meals programme, disbanding the Red and White Cooperatives, and lowering fuel prices.

Initially, the demonstration proceeded in an orderly manner. However, the situation changed when some participants began throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the Grahadi building. The crowd also damaged the fence on the right side of the building by pulling off the iron cladding and throwing it into the Grahadi complex.

Police officers repeatedly urged the protesters to disperse using loudspeakers, but the calls were ignored. The crowd instead continued to hurl objects at the officers, causing the situation to spiral out of control.

To bring the situation under control, police deployed two tactical vehicles from within the Grahadi complex, including a water cannon that sprayed the crowd. The crowd then attempted to evade officers by moving towards Jalan Yos Sudarso. Others fled towards Jalan Pemuda and the Jalan Tais Nasution area as officers continued to sweep the vicinity.

After the crowd dispersed, officers combed several roads around the protest site. As a result of the sweep, police detained 20 individuals suspected of involvement in the riot. All those detained were immediately taken to Surabaya Police Headquarters for further investigation into their alleged involvement in the anarchic action.