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View all search resultsStudents rally against ‘decaying freedom' as Indonesia turns 81
Despite the barricades, students remained defiant, with a protester on the front line shouting that Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka had failed, followed by echoes from the crowd in the back.
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University of Indonesia (UI) students take part in a protest against wasteful state budget spending, President Prabowo Subianto's flagship programs and expanded military roles in civilian affairs in Central Jakarta, on Aug. 18, 2026. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
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undreds of students returned to the streets on Tuesday to protest over what they describe as “decaying freedom” in Indonesia, renewing calls for President Prabowo Subianto’s administration to scrap wasteful spending amid deepening economic woes and natural disasters.
In Jakarta, the protest was led by the University of Indonesia student executive body (BEM UI). More than 200 students planned to march toward the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta, only to be blocked by six lines of police barricades along Jl. Sudirman, the city’s major thoroughfare.
No fewer than 40 female police officers were deployed on the front line to prevent protesters from getting closer to the traffic circle. Heated altercations between protesters and security officials were also apparent during the protest on Jl. Sudirman.
Despite the barricades, students remained defiant, with a protester on the front line shouting that Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka had failed, followed by echoes from the crowd in the back.
Tuesday’s protest by the students was dubbed Merebut Kemerdekaan (Reclaiming Independence), held one day after Indonesia commemorated its 81st Independence Day. The group described the Independence Day celebration as an affront to the current state of democracy.
“If we keep being silenced and intimidated for protesting and expressing our opinion, what does independence really mean?” BEM UI chair Yatalathof Imawan said during the rally.
Read also: Students return to streets over wasteful spending
