Indonesian Protests Escalate, City Council Set on Fire with At Least 3 Dead

Indonesian protests have turned violent, with the city council building in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, set on fire by protesters on the 29th, resulting in at least 3 deaths.

Makassar City Council Secretary Rahmat told AFP on the 30th that after protesters stormed the city council building that evening and set it ablaze, three people were trapped inside. Two died in the blaze, and one was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

He said: “We never expected this could happen. Usually, protesters only throw stones at government buildings or burn tires. No one has ever stormed the building or set it on fire before.”

He pointed out that two of the deceased were local council employees, and the other was a civil servant. Four others were injured in the arson attack and are hospitalized.

The protests, which broke out earlier this week due to dissatisfaction over the excessive salaries and benefits of members of parliament, further escalated on the night of the 28th. A riot control vehicle accidentally ran over and fatally struck a 21-year-old ride-hailing motorcycle rider outside the Jakarta parliament building while dispersing the crowd, which further enraged the protesters and significantly heightened tensions.

In addition to Jakarta, demonstrations broke out one after another on the 29th in multiple locations, including Bandung in West Java Province, Solo in Central Java Province, and Gorontalo Province.

In front of Jakarta Police Headquarters, several hundred people braved pouring rain to demonstrate, waving firecrackers, demanding the resignation of the Jakarta Police Chief and calling for the authorities to be held accountable for the incident.

In major cities such as Surabaya and Bandung on the island of Java, as well as Medan in North Sumatra Province, hundreds of ride-hailing riders threw objects at local police headquarters.

In Bandung, protesters set fire to the official guesthouse of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly, the country’s legislative body.