Rising living costs, forest fires: Indonesia sees mass protest as students take to the streets

The protests took place across cities such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Pekanbaru and Makassar as President Prabowo Subianto marks two years in office.

As youth-led protests continue to erupt across the world, Indonesia has also joined in on the list. Hundreds of students took to the streets on Tuesday to raise their concerns regarding the rising costs of living, frequent forest fires and corruption.

Demonstrators take part in a protest against the government's handling of wildfires and calling for an end to corruption, collusion and nepotism, marking two years of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's administration, in Jakarta, Indonesia (REUTERS)

The protests on Tuesday took place across cities such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Pekanbaru and Makassar. These demonstrations also come as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto marks two years in office.

Mass protest in Jakarta calls for govt action

In Jakarta, university students gathered around the Tugu Tani monument (Heroes monument) to call for action on the Subianto government's handling of forest fires and rising living costs. The fires, which are a frequent recurring in Indonesia, have generated toxic haze, disrupted flights, closed schools and raised public health concerns.

A protester hangs a banner on the Hero Monument, popularly known as Tugu Tani, during a demonstration against the government's handling of wildfires and calling for an end to corruption, collusion and nepotism.

A day before the demonstrations, a meeting was held at Merdeka Palace to discuss speeding up efforts against the fires.

In a post on X, Presidential Chief of Staff Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the President had told authorities to strengthen aerial operations and improve coordination among the armed forces, the National Police, the National Disaster Management Agency, local governments and communities.

Along with the protest at Tugu Tani, Greenpeace activists also climbed the Welcome Monument at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to protest the government's failure to curb the persistent wildfires in the country.

Greenpeace Indonesia activists hanging from the Welcome Statue at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout hold protest signs in Jakarta on October 20, 2026.

One banner carried the message - “Take Action on the Climate Crisis, Bring Down the Cost of Living.” According to Jeanny Sirait, a campaigner for the NGO, at least six activists were detained by the police.

According to a Reuters report, over 9,000 police officers have been deployed in Jakarta to handle protests in the Indonesian capital.

Effigies of Subianto admin burnt

Several videos from the Indonesian capital show instances of arson during the protests on Tuesday. In a video posted on social media, a police truck was set on fire amid the demonstrations. HT, however, was unable to verify the video.

In another instance, a demonstrator was seen setting effigies of President Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka on fire during the protest in Jakarta.

A demonstrator sets effigies on fire during a protest against the government's handling of wildfires and calling for an end to corruption and nepotism

Indonesia's last major protest took place in August, when hundreds were detained. Before this, nationwide protests also occurred in 2025 after the police killing of a motorcycle taxi driver. The clashes recorded last year also resulted in several people being killed.