Protest at Jenderal Sudirman Intersection in Yogyakarta Turns Chaotic!

A student protest at the Jenderal Sudirman intersection, Gondokusuman, has turned chaotic. The crowd, representing the Civil Society Alliance, was initially peaceful but the situation escalated into unrest after certain parties attempted to disperse the demonstration.

According to observations on Tuesday (1/9/2026), the crowd began their protest around 4:00 PM WIB. The road leading to the Gramedia intersection, which served as the protest site, became paralysed as the demonstration was held directly in the middle of the junction.

Protesters unfurled banners in the middle of the road and took turns delivering orations. In addition to police officers surrounding the crowd, Jagawarga personnel were also visible nearby. Furthermore, a group of individuals dressed in black could be seen around the protest site.

The initially peaceful action gradually heated up after a group of people attempted to disperse the protesters. This group, identifying themselves as Yogyakarta residents, claimed that the mass action was causing public disturbance, citing the paralysed traffic as the reason.

Members of this group took turns shouting at the protesters to disperse, which provoked an emotional response from the crowd. Verbal insults were exchanged between the two parties.

“The road is dead, don’t you understand!” shouted one individual from the group claiming to be Yogyakarta residents.

“Bastard mass organisations!” shouted one of the protesters in response.

Riots broke out following these shouts. At exactly 7:00 PM WIB, the crowd began running towards the north on Jalan Cik Di Tiro, and physical assaults were observed at the scene.

Police officers on duty made several attempts to secure the situation. However, repeated provocative shouts thwarted efforts to stabilise the situation, as continuous challenges were issued between the groups.

After approximately 30 minutes, the situation gradually began to stabilise. The protesters returned to the intersection to attempt to continue their demonstration. Negotiations with the police have yet to reach a resolution, and TNI personnel have also arrived at the location.