An unidentified group threw bottles and stones at police officers near the Arjuna Wiwaha Monument, also known as the Horse Statue, in Central Jakarta, just as protesters from the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), the National Movement to Safeguard Fatwas (GNPF) and the 212 Alumni Brotherhood started to disperse.

At 3:45 p.m., the protesters, mostly dressed in white and wearing caps, began to leave the location and Central Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Heru Novianto appealed to the crowd to remain calm while leaving.

“This is a peaceful protest. Now the rally is over, let’s return home peacefully. FPI group, please keep the situation [under control] and do not riot,” Heru addressed the crowd.

However, a group of people without any form of identification refused to leave the area. Clashes erupted when the mob reportedly started to hurl bottles and stones at the police barricades, which the police countered with tear gas fired near the Horse Statue.

Clashes also erupted in the nearby Tugu Tani area, also in Central Jakarta, at 5 p.m., where rioters set alight various items in the middle of the road, kompas.com reported.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Nana Sudjana said police had apprehended around 500 people who had allegedly incited the protesters to start the clashes. He said he suspected they had infiltrated the crowd to instigate riots by throwing missiles at police personnel.

“There were around 600 people trying to incite the crowd. We [the police] stood by at first, but they kept throwing [missiles] at security personnel. At that point, we pushed forward and apprehended them,” he said. Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters from the FPI, GNPF and 212 Alumni had gathered on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Gambir, Central Jakarta, – around 1 kilometer from the Presidential Palace, kompas.com reported.

They recited prayers and voiced demands for the government to revoke the omnibus law. They also called on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to step down.

“The omnibus law will cause Indonesian citizens to be colonized in their own country. We’re here to defend the workers,” Muslim preacher Sugi Nur Raharja said in his speech during the demonstration, as reported by Kompas TV.

Members of the 212 Alumni Brotherhood were the driving force behind the so-called 212 rally in December 2016 to demand the imprisonment of then-Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy.

The protestors followed members of labor unions and university students that had vowed to continue to stage protests to voice their opposition to the highly contentious law.

According to the Jakarta Police, around 12,000 police and military personnel stand ready to ensure public safety and security in the capital. Heru said 650 police officers and soldiers had been deployed to the Horse Statue area.

Some public transportation services were suspended on Tuesday as a precautionary measure in anticipation of disruption caused by the large-scale protests. The MRT only operated between Lebak Bulus and Blok M stations, while the Transjakarta bus service halted operations across the city.

Tuesday’s protest was held in the absence of several key elements. The country’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, has decided not to participate in any demonstrations. Instead, it will “focus on handling the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on education, the economy and public health”, Muhammadiyah secretary Abdul Mu’ti said on Monday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) chairman Said Iqbal said the group did not have any protests planned on Tuesday, while National Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM-SI) coordinator Remy Hastian said none of its members would take to the streets in the demonstrations on Tuesday.

In a separate development, the National Police have arrested eight people affiliated with the Save Indonesia Coalition (KAMI) for allegedly spreading hate speech and violating the Electronic Information and Transactions Law amid protests against the Job Creation Law. They were detained in two separate raids in two cities, Jakarta and Medan, North Sumatra.

“The eight people were arrested because they provided information that instigated hatred and hostility based on SARA [tribal affiliations, religion, race and societal groups],” National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Awi Setiyono said on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.

Awi did not provide further details on the arrests, but revealed that the arrests were made by a cybercrime team under the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department.

In Jakarta, the police arrested KAMI activists and executives Syahganda Nainggolan, Jumhur Hidayat, Anton Permana and Kingkin. In Medan, the group’s Medan chairman, Khairil Amri, was arrested, along with members Juliana, Devi and Wahyu Rasari Putri.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Martuani Sormin said the police suspected the KAMI members in Medan were involved in a riot that broke out in front of the North Sumatra Legislative Council last week. Khairil allegedly provided supplies for protesters in the Medan demonstration.

North Sumatra KAMI executive secretary Harun Al Rasyid strongly rejected the claim that the organization supported violence during the protests.

“That is not true. KAMI never tolerates violence. The arrest of Khairil Amri has nothing to do with KAMI as an organization. It was as a result of his personal actions as an activist,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

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