Police Disperse Crowd Outside Grahadi State Building, Dozens Detained
The police dispersed a mass protest in front of the Grahadi State Building, Surabaya, East Java, on Friday (26/6) night, after some participants allegedly engaged in damaging fences and throwing objects, which was deemed a threat to public safety and officers.
Surabaya Police Chief, Kombes Luthfie Sulistiawan, stated that security had been provided for the demonstration since Friday afternoon. “We provided good service. However, we regret the damage and throwing that occurred,” said Luthfie.
According to Luthfie, the acts of vandalism and throwing were suspected to have been carried out by a portion of the crowd after Maghrib. The police had issued several warnings to cease such actions, but these were ignored.
He explained that the fence of the Grahadi State Building sustained damage due to the incident, despite the police’s initial commitment to ensuring the protest proceeded orderly and in accordance with regulations.
As the warnings were not obeyed, officers proceeded to disperse the crowd gradually, pushing the mass away from the front of the Grahadi Building towards the Bundaran Air Mancur area.
Luthfie stated that around a dozen people were detained for further examination. The exact number of individuals detained is still being processed and recorded.
The Police Chief also ensured that no police personnel were injured during the dispersal process. He noted that the police did not use tear gas during the handling of the protest. Tactical water cannon vehicles were only used to extinguish fires that had briefly appeared at the demonstration site.
“A total of 320 personnel were deployed to secure the protest. The number of vehicles and pieces of evidence seized is still being recorded and investigated by officers,” he said.
Based on observations, police began dispersing the crowd around 7:00 PM WIB while urging the public to leave the area surrounding the Grahadi Building. The dispersal continued towards the Bundaran Air Mancur, which serves as the junction for Jalan Gubernur Suryo, Jalan Pemuda, Jalan Yos Sudarso, and Jalan Panglima Sudirman.
At approximately 7:37 PM WIB, officers installed barriers in the Bundaran Air Mancur area, specifically on the side of the Surabaya Square (Alun-alun Surabaya), to secure the situation. Subsequently, at 7:43 PM WIB, the Surabaya Police Chief deployed motorcycle patrol personnel to sweep the Jalan Gubernur Suryo area and its surroundings to ensure conditions remained conducive.
By approximately 7:56 PM WIB, the police reopened access to Jalan Gubernur Suryo, which had previously been closed to support the expression of opinions in front of the Grahadi State Building.