TL;DR
- Tear gas used in the Baitul Izzah mosque’s courtyard.
- Protests spread over police killing, austerity cuts.
- Buildings burned in multiple cities.
BENGKULU, INDONESIA — Indonesian police fired tear gas into the courtyard of Masjid Baitul Izzah in Bengkulu, Indonesia, as nationwide protests sparked by the death of a motorcycle taxi driver escalated into the most severe unrest of President Prabowo Subianto’s year-old administration.
The incident occurred amid demonstrations that have seen parliamentary buildings set ablaze in at least four provinces.
The protests began on Thursday after a video circulated showing police fatally striking 27-year-old Affan Kurniawan during a demonstration in Makassar over civil servant pay cuts and perceived excessive lawmaker perks.
His death ignited simmering public anger over economic inequality, leading to riots in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan, and Lombok.
President Subianto appealed for calm on Friday, promising a “thorough, transparent investigation” into Kurniawan’s death while authorizing “decisive action” against protesters violating laws.
Despite these assurances, violence continued on Saturday with a local council building burned in Lombok and a police headquarters set ablaze in Surabaya.
The initial protests targeted lawmakers’ monthly housing allowances—nearly ten times Jakarta’s minimum wage—while the government implements austerity measures that cut public worker benefits to fund initiatives like Subianto’s $1 billion free meal program.
The firing of tear gas into the Bengkulu mosque compound has drawn particular condemnation from religious leaders, who called it a violation of sacred space.
TikTok has also suspended the live feature in the country after protesters went live on their TikTok accounts.
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