Students Blocked by Police, March on Foot to Bundaran HI

Hundreds of students, the majority from the University of Indonesia’s Student Executive Board (BEM UI), undertook a long march on foot to the Bundaran HI roundabout as part of their planned protest today, Friday (12/6). The action was taken after their vehicles were intercepted by police to prevent the demonstration from being held at Bundaran HI.

The marching crowd departed from in front of the parliament complex at around 1 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, after two minibuses carrying the group were stopped in the Semanggi area. Consequently, the vehicles then headed to the House of Representatives (DPR) building.

Students subsequently engaged in arguments and clashes with police officers who were on guard. They questioned the police’s reason for prohibiting the protest at Bundaran HI. ‘The issue is that our aspirations and demands are not directed solely at the DPR,’ a student representative said.

Police had asked the students to hold their protest at the parliament complex and not continue their journey to the HI roundabout. The Head of Planning for the Central Jakarta Metro Police, AKBP Adri Desas Furyanto, even invited the students to crash into him if they insisted on going to Bundaran HI. ‘If you force your will, go ahead and crash into us. If you come to this point, you will not be blocked,’ he said.

After their vehicles were prohibited from proceeding, the students decided to disembark. They continued on foot to the Bundaran HI roundabout, a distance of approximately 6.5 kilometres.

In their action, the students are bringing five demands: first, asking the government to stop state budget (APBN) waste; second, to lower the prices of basic necessities and fuel; third, to halt the free meal programme (MBG) and the construction of the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (Red and White Village Cooperatives); fourth, to stop civilian militarism; and fifth, demanding that President Prabowo Subianto stop evading and acknowledge the government’s mistakes.