Brandishing brooms, Indonesian women join Jakarta protests

Hundreds of women dressed in pink joined protests in Indonesia’s capital on Wednesday (September 3, 2025) against lawmakers’ perks and police brutality, brandishing brooms as a symbol of their calls for reform, while the President flew to China for a military parade.

The women carried signs with slogans such as “reform the police” and “your sweet promises cause diabetes,” as well as the brooms which protest organiser The Alliance of Indonesian Women said symbolised a need to “sweep the state’s dirt … and the repressiveness of security forces.”

Protests involving students, workers and rights groups that that began in Jakarta last week have rocked the world’s third-largest democracy, with the demonstrations escalating nationwide after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night.

Rights groups say 10 people have died in the protests, which have also sparked some looting and rioting.

The Alliance, a coalition of women-led civil society groups, had called off a planned protest on Monday citing the risk of a violent response by authorities.

“We want to show that protests are mostly peaceful,” said 30-year-old Rizky Ananda, who was demonstrating against violence against people, and women in particular, as well as wasteful government spending.

“If the government said protests were treasonous, it should be questionable.” President Prabowo Subianto has said the military and police would stand firm against violence, and said on Sunday that some of the unrest bore the signs of terrorism and treason. Mr. Prabowo was making a trip to China to attend a lavish military parade on Wednesday after initially cancelling due to the unrest, with his office saying that signs of normalcy returning in Indonesia were a factor in his decision to travel.

Trying to placate the protesters, three deputy speakers of parliament held a meeting with at least 10 student unions, whose demands included the release of protesters from police detention and an investigation into Mr. Prabowo’s accusation about treason.

The student body of University of Indonesia called for an independent party to investigate police violence during the unrest and expressed disappointment over lawmakers’ benefits as ordinary Indonesians experience economic hardship.

“It’s as if they take advantage of us in every election… But after they won, we were forgotten,” said Agus Setiawan, chief of University of Indonesia student body.

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, deputy parliament speaker and a senior member of Prabowo’s political party, said parliament will evaluate members’ benefits, impose a moratorium on overseas trips and introduce reforms to improve transparency.

The students will be given a chance to convey their demands directly to the government on Thursday, Mr. Dasco said.

Fitch Ratings said the unrest could have negative repercussions for the sovereign credit profile if it dampens growth prospect or leads to increased welfare spending that adds to fiscal slippage risks.

The ratings agency “believes there is a risk that social tensions could linger as the deeper issues are likely to endure, posing political challenges for the president and the ruling coalition, even with its large parliamentary majority”, it said.