Jakarta.  Police in Jakarta on Thursday urged the public not to broadcast live on TikTok or other social media platforms during a massive labor protests in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) complex.

Jakarta Police spokesman Ade Ary Syam Indradi said authorities were concerned that live streaming could be exploited for financial gain or by outsiders seeking to provoke unrest.

“We urge the public not to conduct live TikTok or other social media broadcasts in hopes of receiving gifts or rewards,” Ade Ary said on Wednesday. “We hope this will not happen again. We have conveyed this message and involved various stakeholders.”

He warned that provocateurs could use the rallies to sow disorder and tarnish the image of unions that have coordinated with the police.

Tens of thousands of workers are expected to take to the streets Thursday, with rallies organized by the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) and the Labor Party. The demonstrations are centered around the DPR building in Jakarta, where organizers project crowds of 10,000 to 50,000, while parallel actions are planned in Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Batam, and Makassar.

Workers are demanding higher wages, improved labor protections, and an end to outsourcing practices. They are also calling for lawmakers to pass an asset confiscation bill to fight corruption, advance the Labor Bill, and revise election laws ahead of the 2029 general elections.

Jakarta Police have deployed 4,531 personnel to secure Thursday’s demonstrations, including officers from the Jakarta Police, military units, Mobile Brigade, and municipal agencies. Authorities have also prepared traffic diversions to minimize disruption to commuters.

The protests follow unrest earlier on Monday when rallies outside the DPR over a proposed increase in lawmakers’ allowances descended into violence. Police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd and arrested 312 people, including more than 200 minors.

The Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry (Komdigi) said it would summon TikTok and Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, after false information and inflammatory content circulated during Monday’s protest.

“This undermines democracy. People want to express their aspirations, but suddenly on social media the narrative is manipulated with false information. That destroys the spirit of free expression,” Deputy Minister Angga Raka Prabowo said Wednesday.

He called on digital platforms to comply with Indonesian laws and use automated systems to block content deemed disinformation, slander, or hate speech. “We do not want to be pitted against each other by things that never actually happened,” Angga said, urging both the media and the public to verify information before sharing it.

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