Indonesia faces major student protests as groups challenge economic and government policies

Several student alliances from universities across Jakarta and the surrounding metropolitan region are set to stage demonstrations on Friday, 12 June 2026, raising concerns over Indonesia’s economic conditions and calling on the government to review a number of flagship policies.

The protests will take place at different locations but share similar themes, focusing on the cost of living, public spending, education funding, and the role of the military in civilian affairs.

The two largest confirmed actions are the “Menuju Indonesia Bangkrut” (Towards Indonesia’s Bankruptcy) rally initiated by the Student Executive Board of the University of Indonesia (BEM UI) and a separate protest organised by the UNJ Resists Alliance at Jakarta State University (UNJ).

BEM UI-led protest at HI roundabout

The “Menuju Indonesia Bangkrut” rally is scheduled to take place at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout in Central Jakarta, one of the capital’s most prominent protest locations.

According to BEM UI chairperson Yatalathof Ma'shum Imawan, all 15 faculty student executive boards at the University of Indonesia will participate in the demonstration. The coalition is also expected to include student bodies and activist organisations from several other institutions.

Among the groups that have confirmed participation are the Student Family Executive Board of IPB University, the Jakarta State Polytechnic Student Executive Board, the Pancasila University Student Executive Board, the Gunadarma University BEM Alliance, the National Student Front (FMN) Central, FMN UI, Pembebasan, and the Progressive UI Student Union (Semar UI).

“Several organisations and movement groups that participated in the national consolidation at the UI campus on June 10 are still confirming their attendance,” Yatalathof said on 11 June.

Organisers said participants will assemble at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) field on the University of Indonesia campus in Depok, West Java, at 10:00 a.m. local time before travelling to Central Jakarta. Demonstrators have been asked to wear the traditional yellow student jacket paired with a black shirt.

The action emerged from a national consolidation meeting held at the University of Indonesia on 10 June involving student representatives and activist networks from across the Greater Jakarta region.

Five main demands

Organisers said the protest will centre on five principal demands directed at the administration of President Prabowo Subianto.

The coalition is calling on the government to:

1. Reduce what it describes as wasteful state spending.
2. Lower the prices of fuel and basic commodities.
3. Halt the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme.
4. Stop the Red and White Village Cooperatives initiative.
5. End military involvement in civilian affairs.

The protesters also intend to urge the government to acknowledge and address policy shortcomings.

Yatalathof argued that many Indonesians have not benefited from official economic growth figures and said rising living costs and employment challenges continue to affect households.

“The economy may be growing on paper, but many Indonesians are not feeling the benefits in their daily lives,” he said.

He further criticised government spending priorities, taxation policies affecting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and what he described as increasing military influence in civilian institutions.

According to BEM UI, the demands were formulated in response to what organisers view as deteriorating economic and democratic conditions. Student leaders contend that despite Indonesia’s abundant natural resources, economic prosperity has not been evenly distributed.

Yatalathof also accused the government of dismissing criticism from civil society and using state institutions to suppress dissent, allegations that form part of the coalition’s broader criticism of current governance.

Police preparations ahead of demonstration

Ahead of the planned rally, a video circulated on Instagram showing dozens of police personnel travelling in buses towards the HI Roundabout area.

The footage, posted through an Instagram Reel on Thursday, showed uniformed officers seated inside several buses reportedly heading to Central Jakarta. The video was widely shared on social media as preparations intensified for the student demonstrations scheduled for Friday.

The recording appeared to document the deployment of security personnel ahead of the protests, which are expected to draw participants from multiple universities and activist groups across the Jakarta metropolitan area.

Authorities routinely deploy additional personnel around major demonstration sites in Central Jakarta, particularly around the HI Roundabout and nearby government and commercial districts, to manage traffic and maintain public order during large gatherings.

 

 

 

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UNJ resists alliance to hold campus protest

Separately, students affiliated with the UNJ Resists Alliance will hold a demonstration at Jakarta State University on Friday afternoon.

The protest is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. local time and will involve a long march through the Rawamangun area before concluding at the university’s Pemuda Gate.

According to Dimas Galih, Head of the Social Politics Department of the Student Executive Board of UNJ’s Faculty of Social and Law, participants will march from Rawamangun, proceed towards the golf course area, and then turn onto Jalan Pemuda before returning to campus.

“So we will go against the flow until the final stop at UNJ’s Pemuda gate,” Dimas said on 11 June.

He stated that the demonstration would involve members of the university community, including students and lecturers. Among those expected to attend is Ubedilah Badrun, a sociology lecturer at UNJ.

Another alliance member, Andreas, said the decision to hold the protest resulted from a consolidation meeting involving student organisations across the university on 10 June.

UNJ alliance’s demands

The UNJ Resists Alliance has formulated separate demands directed at both the national government and the university administration.

Its demands to the government include:

• Strengthening the value of the rupiah.
• Reducing the prices of fuel and basic necessities.
• Improving teacher welfare.
• Ensuring that 20 per cent of the state budget is allocated to education.
• Terminating the Free Nutritious Meals programme and the Red and White Cooperatives initiative.
• Returning the military to its barracks.
• Ending the criminalisation of young people and releasing political prisoners.
• Ending the PTN-BH scheme for state universities.
• Creating free and democratic universities.
• Establishing educational environments free from sexual violence.
• Halting national strategic projects considered harmful to the environment.

The alliance also submitted demands to the UNJ rectorate, including accelerating construction of the Saudi Fund for Development-funded campus building project, which students say has remained stalled, and adjusting tuition fees to better reflect students’ economic circumstances.

Growing student activism

The demonstrations reflect a broader wave of student mobilisation around economic and social issues in Indonesia. Organisers from both alliances have framed their actions as responses to rising living costs, concerns about public policy, and debates surrounding education, governance and civil liberties.

With student groups from multiple universities expected to participate and police deployments already visible in Central Jakarta, Friday’s demonstrations are likely to become one of the most significant student-led protest actions in the capital in recent months.