JakartaPost-May 4
Labor Day rallies in Jakarta and Bandung, West Java, ended with police arresting at least 100 alleged “provocateurs” for attempting to incite unrest and vandalism. The rally in front of the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta on Friday, led by labor unions grouped under labor movement Gebrak and joined by students and the public, proceeded in an orderly manner when protesters delivered speeches calling for wage system reform and an end to mass layoffs and outsourcing practices. The rally also featured live music performances by several bands. Protesters dispersed later in the afternoon, although some were reported to have lit flares and burned tires before leaving the scene. In the evening, the Jakarta Police announced the arrests of 101 people, aged between 20 and 35 and mostly hailing from outside the capital, for attempting to “infiltrate the protest as “provocateurs” and to stir unrest among protesting workers. Police seized evidence, including bottles, pieces of cloth and flammable liquid allegedly intended to make Molotov cocktails, as well as slingshots, bladed weapons, cash and documents outlining the incitement plan. But the Jakarta Police later released all of the detainees after questioning, although the investigation remains ongoing, spokesperson Sr. Comr. Budi Hermanto said on Saturday. “They were picked up by their families and accompanied by the LBH Jakarta [Jakarta Legal Aid Institute],” Budi told The Jakarta Post, revealing that none of the detainees were part of any labor union participating in the rally. LBH Jakarta lawyer Alif Fauzi Nurwidiastomo rejected the police’s accusations of incitement, saying most of the detainees were students who joined the rally in solidarity or attended the free concert. Sunarno, chair of the Congress of Indonesia Unions Alliance (KASBI), a member of Gebrak, told the Post that none of Gebrak’s members were detained. May Day was commemorated in two major rallies in Jakarta, one held by Gebrak in front of the Senayan legislative complex and another was held by the Labor Party at the National Monument (Monas) complex and attended by President Prabowo Subianto. Read more at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/05/04/arrests-mar-labor-day-rallies-in-jakarta-bandung.html?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=home_headlines.
