Vandalism of Grahadi Building During #IndonesiaSekarat Protest Sparks Concern

SURABAYA – East Java Regional Secretary Adhy Karyono has deplored the act of vandalism against the Grahadi State Building that occurred during a demonstration titled #IndonesiaSekarat in Surabaya on Friday evening. He stated that the damage represents a loss for all the people of East Java because Grahadi is a symbol of the provincial government. Adhy expressed his concern whilst inspecting the condition of the Grahadi State Building directly after the protest turned unruly. “This is very regrettable. We are in the process of completing repairs to Grahadi, which also caught fire a year ago, but now an incident like this has happened again,” said Adhy Karyono. According to Adhy, security forces had attempted to control the situation to prevent the demonstration from worsening. He added that the East Java Provincial Government remains committed to continuing the recovery and renovation process of the Grahadi State Building so it can function optimally again. Adhy stressed that the damage to the Grahadi State Building not only impacts government assets but also harms the people of East Java because the building is a symbol of the regional administration. “If there is damage to a state building like this, it certainly becomes a loss for all citizens. This is a symbol of the East Java Provincial Government,” he said. Previously, the demonstration titled #IndonesiaSekarat in front of the Grahadi State Building turned unruly on Friday evening. The crowd, predominantly dressed in black, threw bottles, stones, and various objects at officers. In addition, some participants also damaged the fence of the Grahadi State Building, which is currently being renovated after suffering a fire last year. The situation heated up after the crowd burned a pile of rubbish on Jalan Gubernur Suryo, prompting officers to increase security around the location. The Surabaya City Police subsequently dispersed the crowd after some protest participants allegedly vandalised the fence and threw objects deemed to endanger the safety of the public and fellow demonstrators.