Indonesia: President calls protests 'treason and terrorism'

Indonesia: President calls protests 'treason and terrorism'

DW
Published: Aug 31, 2025 7:46 PM
Updated: 9:46 PM


Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday criticized ongoing protests over social inequality and economic conditions in the country, saying the actions of some demonstrators bordered on "treason and terrorism."

"The rights to peaceful assembly should be respected and protected," he said in a speech at the presidential palace in the capital Jakarta. "But we cannot deny that there are signs of actions outside the law, even against the law, even leaning toward treason and terrorism."

Indonesia, southeast Asia's biggest economy, has been rocked by protests in major cities, intensified by the death of motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a police vehicle during a demonstration against financial perks for lawmakers on Thursday.

On Friday night, at least three people were killed after protesters set fire to a council building in the city of Makassar.

The house of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati in South Tangerang, a city neighboring Jakarta, was ransacked in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to a neighbor.

"In the first group of looters, there were dozens of motorcycles ridden by two to three people each," the witness told the AFP news agency. "In the second group, there were around 150 people. They looted a television, sound system, living room decorations, clothes, plates, bowls."

Prabowo: Parliament to revoke some allowances

And on Sunday, President Prabowo appeared to offer some concessions, saying that parliament had "agreed to revoke some allowances for parliamentarians."

But he also added that the state "must protect the people in the face of the destruction on public property" and said he had ordered the police and the military to take the "strongest actions" against looters.