Jakarta. Protesters gathered near Indonesia’s parliament complex refused to disperse and continued their demonstration into Thursday night, with a police post and a motorcycle set ablaze and public facilities damaged as unrest spread to nearby streets.

The protesters had initially gathered to demand the passage of an asset forfeiture law, raise concerns over alleged corruption in the government’s free nutritious meal program, and press several other demands.

Representatives of the protesters met with senior members of the House of Representatives, but parts of the crowd remained on the streets afterward.

A police post beneath the Slipi overpass, only a few hundred meters from the parliament complex, was vandalized and set on fire. A motorcycle believed to belong to a police officer was also burned, while surveillance cameras around the area were destroyed.

Clashes subsequently broke out between protesters and police and spread to Pejompongan Raya Street in Central Jakarta, not far from Slipi.

Several vehicles parked along the roadside were damaged during the unrest, along with cables, road signs, and roadside landscaping.

Some protesters remained on Pejompongan Raya Street around midnight, while police continued efforts to contain the unrest and prevent it from spreading.

Authorities closed the street to traffic as well as sections of Jakarta’s inner-city toll road.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, with many protesters moving onto the elevated toll road around Slipi, where some set off fireworks.

Demonstrations raising similar demands were also held in several other Indonesian cities, although none saw an escalation on the scale of the unrest in Jakarta.

Security forces had been placed on heightened alert ahead of the demonstrations, reflecting concerns over a repeat of widespread unrest in August 2025, when riots erupted in several Indonesian cities.

During last year’s unrest, the homes of several lawmakers and then-Finance Minister Sri Mulyani were looted, while regional legislative council buildings and a museum in other cities were set on fire.

Friday also marks one year since the death of ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan, who was struck and killed by a police tactical vehicle while delivering food near a protest in Jakarta.

President Prabowo Subianto later visited Affan’s parents to offer his condolences and apologize over the incident.

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