UI Student Executive Body Mass Blocked by Security Forces at Semanggi

A mass from the University of Indonesia Student Executive Body (BEM UI) was blocked by security forces in the Semanggi area of Central Jakarta on Friday, 12 June 2026. The group intended to stage a demonstration titled ‘Towards Indonesia’s Bankruptcy’ at the Bundaran HI roundabout in Central Jakarta on Friday afternoon. “It is true (the mass was blocked by officers),” said Anandaku Dimas Rumi, Chair of the BEM at UI’s Faculty of Law, when contacted on Friday. Approximately 1,000 UI students were expected to join the ‘Towards Indonesia’s Bankruptcy’ protest at Bundaran HI that afternoon. Since Friday morning, they had gathered at the FISIP UI car park in Depok and departed for Bundaran HI using buses divided into several groups. Dimas stated that hundreds of UI students were travelling by bus but were intercepted by security forces. As of now, there is no updated information regarding this obstruction. Tempo contacted the Head of Public Relations for Polda Metro Jaya, Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto, regarding the matter, but he has yet to respond. BEM UI Chair Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan previously stated that the alliance agreeing to participate includes the all-UI BEM alliance (BEM UI and 15 Faculty BEMs within UI), BEM KM IPB, BEM PNJ, BEM Universitas Pancasila, the Gunadarma BEM Alliance, FMN Pusat, FMN UI, Pembebasan, and Semar UI. “Several organisations and movement nodes that participated in the national consolidation at the UI Campus yesterday are still confirming their attendance and estimating the number of participants at tonight’s meeting,” Athof said. According to Athof, there are five demands to be voiced: stop the waste of the state budget (APBN), lower the prices of staple goods and fuel, halt the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) and the construction of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives, end militarism in the civilian sphere, and finally, for Prabowo to stop evading and acknowledge the government’s mistakes.