TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The #IndonesiaSekarat (Indonesia at Death's Door) protest in front of the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya turned violent on Friday, June 26, 2026. The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) Surabaya revealed that 24 protesters, including a woman activist, were arrested.
The Advocacy Team at KontraS Surabaya, Zaldi Maulana, recounted that the peaceful demonstration took place at 3:30 p.m. local time. However, the police began to encircle the crowd from the west side of Jalan Gubernur Suryo with water cannons, isolating and shooting at the protesters with water and tear gas while pushing them back towards the fountain at 7:10 p.m.
Zaldi also recalled that there were plainclothes police officers around the fountain, among the protesters.
"After pushing back the demonstration, the police began to arrest the protesters sporadically and forcibly dragging them into the Grahadi building," said Zaldi in his statement on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
These plainclothes officers made arbitrary arrests, according to Zaldi, where many innocents were chased and arrested without clear reasons.
"Until Saturday at 1:26 a.m., we recorded that 24 people, including one woman, had been arrested by the police. They were taken to the Surabaya Metro Police," said Zaldi
Based on this chronology, the Advocacy Team at the Anti-Criminalization Network and KontraS urged the police to release all forcibly arrested #IndonesiaSekarat protesters. They also affirmed the right of those arrested to adequate legal assistance.
"We also urge the Surabaya Metro Police not to use violence against forcibly arrested demonstrators without clear evidence," he added.
The protest criticized various government policies and programs. They demanded the cessation of two government flagship programs, the free nutritious meal (MBG) program and the Red and White Village Cooperatives.
Previously, Surabaya Metro Police Chief Commissioner Luthfie Setiawan stated that the police tried to disperse the crowd by directing them towards Balai Pemuda. "They continued to vandalize and endangered the public and themselves. Therefore, we were forced to take decisive action by pushing the crowd backward," he said.
Shortly after, several demonstrators were seen being arrested by the police on accusation of being provocateurs, including a woman activist, whose identity has yet to be revealed by the police. "Currently, data collection and examination are still ongoing. Those found guilty will be processed according to applicable law," said the resort police chief.
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