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Cities flare up as jobs law protesters clash with police
As of Thursday evening, reports of clashes, arson and arrests had come from at least a dozen cities: Greater Jakarta; Yogyakarta; Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Malang, East Java; Jambi; Medan, North Sumatra; Surakarta, Central Java; Bandung, West Java; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Palu, Central Sulawesi; Palembang, South Sumatra; and Denpasar, Bali.
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Students and workers take part in a protest on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. Thousands of workers and students hold a rally to reject the new Omnibus Law on Job Creation. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
R
allies in protest against the contentious Job Creation Law have continued across the country three days after it was passed on Monday, with some turning violent as protesters clashed with police.
As of Thursday evening, reports of clashes, arson and arrests had come from at least a dozen cities: Greater Jakarta; Yogyakarta; Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Malang, East Java; Jambi; Medan, North Sumatra; Surakarta, Central Java; Bandung, West Java; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Palu, Central Sulawesi; Palembang, South Sumatra; and Denpasar, Bali.
During a rally in Jakarta, a Transjakarta bus stop near Hotel Indonesia and a traffic police post near Tugu Tani, both in Central Jakarta, were set on fire, it is not clear by whom.
Thousands of activists, students and workers clashed with the police in front of the Yogyakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) building. The protesters tried to enter the gate but to no avail. They then began throwing bottles and other missiles at the building. At some point during the rally, a restaurant next to the council building was set on fire but again it is not clear who was responsible.
Similar clashes happened in Surakarta, during which protesters reacted angrily to police attempts to confiscate a banner.
Hundreds of protesters in Malang pelted the Malang DPRD office with firecrackers and flares, setting fire to the front gate of the office.
Some protesters were seen, in a video tweeted on the Persatuan Buruh (Labor Unions) Twitter account, climbing over the fence to further attack the property on Thursday.
