Rain Prompts #IndonesiaSadar Protesters to Leave Central Jakarta Rally
Rain prompted students and civil society groups to begin leaving their #IndonesiaSadar protest outside the UOB building in Central Jakarta at about 7:15 p.m. local time on October 28, 2026. Tempo.co reported that the departure was peaceful, though crowds remained at several locations in the Dukuh Atas area.
Police oversee departures as roads remain closed
Members of the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Board (BEM UI) were among those leaving after the rain began. Officers watched over the dispersal, while Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Senior Commissioner Reynold E.P. Hutagalung appealed through a loudspeaker for an orderly departure and thanked protesters for leaving peacefully.
Police continued monitoring traffic after the protest ended. At the time of Tempo.co's report, roads remained closed in both directions between Semanggi and the HI Roundabout.
Barricades and access to the roundabout
The demonstrations took place on Youth Pledge Day, observed annually on October 28. BEM UI members joined students from other universities, student movement organizations and civil society groups to protest national issues under the #IndonesiaSadar, or Indonesia Aware, banner.
Protesters began gathering near the Thamrin Nine building by 2:30 p.m., intending to march toward the HI Roundabout. Police erected barricades to block their route. Kompas.id reported that hundreds of officers formed layered barricades outside the UOB Bank building on Sudirman Street, backed by approximately 100 military personnel. Hutagalung also spoke with BEM UI representatives.
The Straits Times reported that thousands of protesters reached Bundaran HI, also known as the HI Roundabout, after splitting into separate groups. According to the newspaper, police blockades had prevented earlier student attempts to rally there, most recently in August 2026.
The newspaper described the rally as a protest against the government's response to haze, rising living costs and alleged corruption among public officials. Smaller demonstrations also took place in Yogyakarta, Bandung in West Java, Malang in East Java and Padang in West Sumatra.
The coalition's five demands
The protest's organizing coalition, the Committee to Save People's Sovereignty (Seruan Kedaulatan Rakyat, or Sadar), brings together student executive bodies and associations from nine universities. They are the University of Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology, Padjadjaran University, Diponegoro University, Semarang State University, Gadjah Mada University, the National Development University Veteran Yogyakarta, Airlangga University and Brawijaya University.
Ahead of the rally, the Sadar Committee set out five demands, according to Tempo.co. On forest and land fires, it called for a national disaster declaration, prosecution of responsible corporations and an end to fragmented land governance.
Its budget demand targeted spending it described as wasteful and politically motivated under the guise of populist programs, including the Free Nutritious Meals program and the Red and White Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives initiative. A separate demand sought lower education costs and equitable access to basic public services.
The coalition also called for an end to the use of legal mechanisms to consolidate power and stronger efforts against corruption, collusion and nepotism. Its fifth demand combined the restoration of freedom of expression with accountability for human rights violations and an end to the militarization of civilian spaces.
Protest symbols and official responses
Many demonstrators raised the three-finger salute featured in the Hunger Games films and used in protests in Thailand and Myanmar, The Straits Times reported. A common chant was "All eyes on karhutla," referring to forest and land fires.
In a written statement, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid defended the #IndonesiaSadar slogan and its accompanying salute as legitimate and "not a call for hostility, discrimination, or violence." He said the gesture represented awareness of extortion, arson and impoverishment, and urged authorities not to repress the protests. Kompas.id reported that Amnesty also sought the lifting of the ban on students and other citizens holding peaceful demonstrations at the HI Roundabout.
Government spokesperson Syahganda Nainggolan said in an October 28 statement that the government respected the demonstrations as part of nurturing democracy. The Straits Times reported that he also described intensified efforts to combat forest fires, including the deployment of more than 70,000 firefighting personnel and investigations into corporations and individuals suspected of starting fires.