TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of students from the University of Indonesia (UI) were reportedly prevented by police from reaching the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout in Central Jakarta, where they planned to stage a protest on Friday, June 12, 2026.
Anandaku Dimas Rumi, chair of the Student Executive Board (BEM) of the UI Faculty of Law, said the group traveling from Depok was stopped near the Semanggi area before they could enter Jalan Sudirman.
"We were supposed to turn left toward Sudirman Street (leading to the HI Roundabout), but the road was blocked," Dimas said on Friday.
According to Dimas, police officers prevented the students from proceeding without providing a clear explanation, despite organizers having submitted prior notification of the demonstration.
"When we asked them to open the road, they just laughed," he alleged.
Dimas also claimed that some students encountered difficulties accessing nearby mosques for Friday prayers due to the roadblocks.
"They had to walk from the DPR building area to the TVRI office area," he told Tempo.
The students are continuing efforts to reach the HI Roundabout, one of Jakarta's most prominent protest sites. Dimas urged police to reopen access and respect the students' right to peaceful assembly.
Earlier, UI Student Executive Board Chair Yatalathof Ma'shum Imawan announced that UI students, together with several student organizations, would hold a demonstration under the banner #IndonesiaMenujuBangkrut ("Indonesia Heading Toward Bankruptcy") at the HI Roundabout.
The protest is being joined by student groups from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Jakarta State Polytechnic (PNJ), Pancasila University, and the Gunadarma Student Executive Board Alliance.
According to Yatalathof, the protesters will raise five key demands. They are calling on the government to curb what they describe as wasteful state spending, reduce the prices of basic necessities and fuel, halt the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and the development of Red and White Village Cooperatives, end what they characterize as growing militarization in civilian affairs, and for President Prabowo Subianto to acknowledge and take responsibility for government policy failures.
Ricky Juliansyah contributed to the writing of this article.
Read: Police Block UI Students En Route to Jakarta Protest
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