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Hold onto your helmets, folks, because Indonesia’s streets are hotter than a Jakarta traffic jam in July! A blazing post on X set the internet ablaze: *“Protests continue across multiple cities in Indonesia, including Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan, and Bandung, after police ran over and killed a motorcycle taxi driver during an anti-gov't demonstration in the capital Jakarta.”* This isn’t a scene from an action flick—it’s a real-life uprising fueled by rage over a 21-year-old driver’s death, sky-high MP allowances, and a government that’s testing the nation’s patience. From students hurling rocks to motorcycle drivers in green jackets demanding justice, cities like Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan, and Bandung are erupting in chaos. Let’s dive into this fiery saga with humor, sass, and enough spark to keep you glued to the page. --- ### **1. The Spark: A Tragic Death Ignites Nationwide Fury** On Thursday, August 28, 2025, 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan was fatally run over by a police tactical vehicle during a protest outside Indonesia’s House of Representatives in Jakarta. Affan, a Gojek driver, wasn’t even protesting—he was just delivering food when an armored vehicle from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) plowed through the crowd, striking him. A viral video of the incident spread like wildfire, showing the vehicle speeding through protesters, with Affan falling under its wheels. His friend Hafidz confirmed on X, “Affan wasn’t part of the demo, just delivering an order!” The outrage was instant, with thousands of motorcycle drivers, students, and activists hitting the streets, chanting “Killer!” and demanding justice. X users are roasting the police, with one quipping, “Brimob’s new motto: ‘Serve, protect, and… run over?’” This tragedy turned simmering discontent into a nationwide inferno.[](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-jakarta-protest-gojek-ojol-rider-killed-pejompongan-prabowo-5321796)[](https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/indonesia-protesters-prabowo-subianto-police-brutality-b2816449.html) --- ### **2. Cities in Chaos: Protests Sweep Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan, and Bandung** The protests, which kicked off in Jakarta on Monday over lavish MP allowances, exploded after Affan’s death, spreading to Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan, Bandung, and beyond like a TikTok trend gone rogue. In Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, protesters stormed the governor’s office, torching vehicles and smashing fences, while security forces hit back with tear gas and water cannons. Yogyakarta and Solo saw students from universities like Gadjah Mada (UGM) burning tires and demanding police reform, with banners screaming “Education is at stake, Indonesia is anxious!” In Medan, hundreds of drivers in green Gojek jackets hurled rocks at police headquarters, while Bandung protesters set fire to a local parliament building. Makassar, Manado, and even Manokwari in Papua joined the fray, with three deaths reported in a fire at Makassar’s council building. X posts capture the chaos, with @AJEnglish noting, “Tear gas, fireworks, and burning buildings—this is Indonesia’s biggest test yet.” It’s like the whole country’s staging a rebellion remix.[](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/29/why-are-antigovernment-protests-taking-place-in-indonesia)[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Indonesian_protests)[](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-30/indonesia-protests-spread-as-anger-grows-over-taxi-rider-death/105715278) --- ### **3. The Root of the Rage: MPs’ Pay and a Cost-of-Living Crisis** Affan’s death was the match, but the kindling’s been piling up for months. Protesters are livid over a 50 million rupiah ($3,000) monthly housing allowance for 580 parliamentarians—nearly 10 times Jakarta’s minimum wage and 20 times that of poorer regions. At a time when inflation, taxes, and unemployment are squeezing Indonesians, this perk feels like a slap in the face. “Corrupt elites” is the phrase of the day, with groups like Gejayan Memanggil demanding salary cuts for MPs and a minimum wage hike tied to inflation. Abigail Limura from What Is Up, Indonesia? told Al Jazeera, “This is months of economic and political frustration boiling over.” Add to that budget cuts for health and education to fund President Prabowo Subianto’s $1 billion free meal program, and you’ve got a recipe for unrest. X users are savage, with one joking, “MPs get mansions, we get tear gas—fair trade, right?” The economic pain is real, and Affan’s death just lit the fuse.[](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/29/why-are-antigovernment-protests-taking-place-in-indonesia)[](https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/8/29/why-are-antigovernment-protests-taking-place-in-indonesia)[](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/29/protests-resume-in-jakarta-after-ride-share-driver-killed-by-police) --- ### **4. Police Under Fire: Brutality and a Call for Reform** The police’s heavy-handed response has poured fuel on the flames. On Thursday, riot cops in Jakarta fired tear gas, smoke bombs, and water cannons to disperse crowds hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails. But Affan’s death flipped the script, with protesters storming Brimob headquarters in Jakarta’s Kwitang neighborhood, setting a five-story building ablaze and trapping people inside. Students paused to help rescue those trapped, showing heart amid the havoc. In Surabaya, Medan, and Bandung, clashes saw protesters fighting back with fireworks and wooden clubs. The All-Indonesia Students’ Union (BEM SI) and others are demanding police reform, external oversight, and accountability for officers’ “excessive force.” Seven Brimob officers were detained for ethics violations, but the driver of the vehicle remains unidentified. X is buzzing with calls for justice, with @detikcom reporting protesters shutting down Jakarta’s toll roads in solidarity. One user snarked, “Police reform? They can’t even reform their driving skills!”[](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cdrk7rjv8z5t)[](https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/29/asia/indonesia-protests-police-latam-intl)[](https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tensions-soar-indonesia-protests-police-erupt-multiple-cities-125087124) --- ### **5. Prabowo’s Test: Can He Quell the Storm?** President Prabowo Subianto, a former general who took office in October 2024, is facing his biggest challenge yet. In a video address, he expressed “shock and disappointment” at the police’s actions, ordered a “thorough and transparent” investigation, and promised financial support for Affan’s family. He even canceled a trip to China to deal with the crisis. But his calls for calm and pleas to “trust my leadership” aren’t cutting it—protesters pelted police headquarters despite heavy rain. Prabowo’s policies, like budget cuts for his free meal program and a sovereign wealth fund, have already sparked discontent. X posts show skepticism, with one user joking, “Prabowo’s like, ‘Trust me!’ while everyone’s dodging tear gas.” His visit to Affan’s family and apologies from police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo haven’t doused the flames. With the rupiah sliding 0.8% and stocks tanking 1.5%, this is a make-or-break moment for his presidency.[](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-jakarta-protest-gojek-ojol-rider-killed-pejompongan-prabowo-5321796)[](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjw6el72xd4o)[](https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/8/29/why-are-antigovernment-protests-taking-place-in-indonesia) --- ### **6. The Internet’s Meme Frenzy: X Fuels the Fire** X is a virtual bonfire of reactions, with memes and rage posts flying faster than police tear gas canisters. @detikcom’s post about Affan’s funeral convoy—thousands of green-jacketed drivers filling Jakarta’s streets—went viral, with drone footage capturing the emotional outpouring. Users are savage: “Police out here playing Grand Theft Auto with real lives,” one quipped, while another posted a meme of Prabowo dodging responsibility like a Matrix bullet. The hashtag #IndonesiaGelap has exploded, hitting 14 million tweets in 24 hours, per Beautynesia. Some posts, like @VeracityAlways’s, take dark jabs, suggesting protesters belong in “El Salvador’s prison,” while others praise the solidarity, with @AJEnglish amplifying the nationwide unrest. From burning tire GIFs to cries of “Adili Jokowi” (prosecute Jokowi), X is both a megaphone and a meme factory for this uprising.[](https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unjuk_rasa_di_Indonesia_2025) --- ### **7. A Nation Haunted: Echoes of 1998 and Beyond** The protests carry a chilling echo of the 1998 riots that toppled Suharto, especially in Jakarta’s Glodok Chinatown, where shops shuttered early over fears of racial violence against Chinese Indonesians. Back then, over 1,000 died, and the scars linger. Today’s unrest, with burning buildings and looted stores, feels like a grim rerun. Protesters’ demands go beyond Affan’s death—students want police reform, asset seizures from corrupt officials, and an end to policies like the 2020 Job Creation Law and outsourcing. In Yogyakarta, UGM students rallied against a military bill they fear undermines civilian rule, chanting “Reject dwifungsi!” A student named Veva told the BBC, “I can’t accept my parents’ taxes supporting a system that treats lives as worthless.” The economic stakes are high—unemployment is the worst in Southeast Asia, per the IMF, and Trump’s tariff policies aren’t helping. This isn’t just about one death—it’s a cry for systemic change.[](https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/29/tensions-soar-in-indonesia-as-protests-over-police-brutality-and-lawmakers-allowances-cont)[](https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/08/30/protests-erupt-in-indonesia-over-death-of-man-hit-by-police-vehicle/)[](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-jakarta-protest-gojek-ojol-rider-killed-pejompongan-prabowo-5321796) --- ### **Wrap-Up: Indonesia’s Boiling Point** Affan Kurniawan’s death has turned Indonesia into a powder keg, with protests rocking Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan, Bandung, and beyond. From MP allowances to police brutality, the grievances run deep, and Prabowo’s in the hot seat. Will his investigation deliver justice, or is this just the start of a bigger uprising? X is ablaze with memes, from tear gas-dodging protesters to green-jacketed convoys, proving the internet’s as fired up as the streets. Drop your take below: Can Prabowo cool this chaos, or is Indonesia headed for a 1998 redux? Got another spicy topic? Slide it my way, and let’s keep the digital flames roaring!