The police have arrested more than a thousand demonstrators following a series of protests against the Job Creation Law in several regions across the country.

The Jakarta Police detained 1,192 protesters during rallies across the capital on Thursday. Most detainees were high school students, Jakarta Police spokesperson Comr. Yusri Yunus said.

“They are not workers who came to voice their opinions, but a group of high school students who came to deliberately incite riots,” Yusri said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

He claimed investigators had found text messages asking students to incite riots during the rally. The police also claimed that certain people sponsored their trips to the capital by paying for their bus or train tickets.

Read also: Civil groups urge police to stop 'repressing' omnibus law protesters

In Medan, North Sumatra, authorities arrested 177 protesters during a rally in front of the North Sumatra Legislative Council (DPRD) building. They were immediately taken to the North Sumatra Police headquarters to undergo questioning and rapid antibody testing for COVID-19.

Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Riko Sunarko said the investigations into the arrested demonstrators were still underway. The police had yet to decide whether to release them.

“At least three protesters showed reactive results,” Riko said on Thursday.

North Sumatra Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Tatan Dirsan Atmaja said at least six officers sustained injuries during a clash between the police and protesters on Thursday. He said the injured officers had received medical assistance.

Rallies in protest of the contentious omnibus law continued on Thursday, three days after the law was passed by the House of Representatives on Monday. Some turned violent as protesters clashed with police.

Read also: Cities flare up as jobs law protesters clash with police

Reports of clashes, arson and arrests had come from at least a dozen cities and metropolitan areas, including Greater Jakarta; Yogyakarta; Medan, North Sumatra; Makassar, South Sulawesi; and Denpasar, Bali.

Protesters demanded the law to be revoked immediately, as scholars, activists and labor leaders have called the law a setback to worker’s rights and environmental protection in the country.

However, the government has insisted that the law is necessary to cut red tape and improve bureaucratic efficiency, particularly to improve business licensure and attract foreign investment. (dpk)