Protest at Solo DPRD: Two Students Briefly Detained by Police

A demonstration in front of the Solo City DPRD in Central Java on Friday (12/6) heated up after police apprehended two participants. One witness reported seeing two protesters being led away from the crowd by suspected officers. The incident triggered the anger of the demonstrators, who had initially been calling for economic improvements but then shifted to urging the police to release their colleagues. The crowd gathered on the road in front of the Solo City DPRD became divided. According to observations, some approached the Surakarta Police Chief, Commissioner Catur Cahyono Wibowo, at the DPRD gate. “Free our friends,” the crowd shouted. They forced Catur to order his members to release the two detained demonstrators. Several people who approached Catur shouted at and even cursed him. After lengthy negotiations, he finally agreed to release the two demonstrators who had been held. “Earlier we heard information that two of our friends had been kidnapped by the police. But now they have been freed,” said an orator on the command vehicle. As of now, the protest in front of the Solo City DPRD is still ongoing. The crowd is urging the government to stop populist programmes that burden the state budget (APBN). Besides Solo, related protests also occurred in several cities, such as in Bandung on Thursday (11/6). And today, a combined student mass is also holding a protest in Jakarta, which is currently still held around the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout (Bundaran HI).