Pribadi Wicaksono, Jakarta – A mass protest to mark two years of Prabowo-Gibran administration at the Yogyakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Malioboro Street ended in chaos late Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
The protest was marked by clashes after talks between lawmakers at DPRD Yogyakarta and protesters hit a deadlock.
Protesters dressed in black forced their way into the parliament complex to express their aspirations, but they were blocked by hundreds of police officers and a group of citizens.
The protesters gathered after students from various campuses rallied in the afternoon. They unfurled a banner reading 'Yogyakarta Melawan' (Yogyakarta Resists).
They carried several demands to the Prabowo-Gibran administration: tackling forest fires, evaluating the free nutritious meal program, and free education.
The Head of Public Relations of the Yogyakarta Police, Police Commissioner Ihsan, said officers tried to quell friction from the protesters, but the situation turned chaotic, allegedly triggered by stones and firecrackers thrown at the officers.
The sound of exploding firecrackers triggered a strong reaction from nearby residents who gathered, causing clashes between residents and student protesters to escalate.
Some people in the crowd were taken to the corridor of the parliament building to avoid violence from residents. "We were trying to protect them," he said.
Protesters have flocked to Malioboro since noon, predominently made up of university students. The Islamic Student Association (HMI) arrived first, followed by student alliances from the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) and the Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (UMY).
DPRD Speaker Nuryadi, who met with the protesters earlier in the day, said lawmakers were open to all aspirations, while advising that they must remain peaceful. "Let's not turn to riots, students will eventually replace our spot here [in the government], so express your aspirations in an appropriate manner," Nuryadi said.
Nevertheless, the situation heated up as time went on.
At around 4:20 p.m., the first friction between protesters and police officers broke out when a group of people dressed entirely in black forced their way through the security barricades to enter the courtyard of the parliament building.
As people pushed against one another, several protesters fell down, while a rain of mineral water bottles was thrown at the standing police personnel.
The situation calmed briefly during the Maghrib call to prayer. However, tensions peaked again around 8:00 p.m.
Six lawmakers, including the Chairperson of Commission B from the PDIP faction, Andriana Wulandari, met with protesters for an open negotiation. The dialogue reached a deadlock as protesters demanded full access into the main hall. Citing safety for all, Andriana said lawmakers were willing to hear aspirations from representatives of the protesters.
She also said she regretted that firecracker sounds were heard during the ongoing mediation process.
The chaos peaked at around 9:30 p.m. and only returned to normal more than an hour later at around 11:00 p.m.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2122021/how-prabowo-gibran-protest-turned-chaotic-in-yogyakart