Pork Sellers in Medan Protest Against Mayor's Circular
Approximately one thousand people, consisting of pork sellers and consumers, protested against Circular Letter or SE issued by the Mayor of Medan Number 500-7.1/1540 concerning the Arrangement of Locations and Management of Waste from the Sale of Non-Halal Meat in the City of Medan.
Protesters demonstrated at the Medan City Hall on Thursday, February 26, 2026. They requested that Mayor Rico Waas revoke the circular because it is considered to be detrimental to the pork selling business.
The circular issued by Mayor Rico Waas was considered by pork sellers as a form of discrimination under the pretext of arrangement and management of waste from the sale of pork. “We sell pork that has been slaughtered at the slaughterhouse, not slaughtered haphazardly and in public,” said one of the pork sellers, whose last name is Marbun.
According to Effendi Naibaho, one of the protesters, the Medan City Mayor’s circular has the potential to kill small businesses that have been running for a long time in the City of Medan. Naibaho said that there has never been a ban on selling pork in Medan since the time of Medan Mayor Sjoerkani.
“If the intention is to arrange pork sellers, why does the circular only target pork (non-halal) sellers?” said Naibaho through a loudspeaker.
The atmosphere of the demonstration became tense because Rico Waas did not immediately meet with the protesters. The crowd began to throw water bottles at officers from the Medan City Civil Service Police Unit and personnel from the Medan City Police, right in front of the gate of the Medan City Hall, Jalan Kapten Maulana Lubis number 1 Medan.
The commotion stopped after the General Chairman of Horas Bangso Batak, Lamsiang Sitompul, who gathered the pork sellers, asked the protesters to be orderly. “Please respect and honor our brothers and sisters who are fasting. There should be no throwing of any kind,” said Sitompul.
Medan Mayor Rico Waas and Deputy Mayor of Medan Zakiyuddin Harahap finally agreed to receive representatives of the protesters and accept the demand that the circular regarding the sale of pork be withdrawn and revised so that it does not seem discriminatory. After the meeting, Deputy Mayor Zakiyuddin Harahap and Assistant for Government and Community Welfare of the Medan City Government, M. Sofyan, met with the protesters.
The Medan City Government stated that the circular was not a policy of banning trade, but rather a step to arrange for business activities to take place in an orderly, healthy, and conducive manner in a diverse community.
The Medan City Government, continued Sofyan, guarantees that there will be no ban on selling non-halal commodities and will improve the wording of the circular. The Medan City Government, said Sofyan, does not prohibit residents from trading in non-halal commodities, but rather regulates the location of sales so as not to cause environmental disruption, health risks, or discomfort for residents around public facilities, places of worship, and schools.