Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – The turmoil due to the protest at the Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) Police Headquarters on Friday night, August 29, 2025, did not affect the situation in the Malioboro area. According to Tempo's observation, the area, which is the main destination for tourists visiting Yogyakarta, appeared crowded and conducive.
The area of the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters, which has become the center of protests, is located on the north ring road, directly across from Pakuwon Mall in Sleman Regency. Meanwhile, the Malioboro area is located in the center of Yogyakarta City. It is approximately 10 kilometers away, or a 20-25 minute drive in smooth traffic conditions.
Several shops and shopping centers in the Malioboro area are also open as usual. Vehicles with license plates from outside Yogyakarta crowded the streets that provide access to Malioboro.
"The situation in Malioboro is normal, crowded like on weekends," said Shava Nuansa, 32, a resident of Bugisan, Wirobrajan, Yogyakarta, who had just returned home from work that night.
However, according to him, the turmoil at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters has gained considerable attention on Yogyakarta's social media platforms. "The demonstration at the DIY Regional Police Headquarters only has an impact in the surrounding area, such as the north ring road," he said.
Tense situation
A tense situation occurred during the protest at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters when thousands of protesters set fire to several objects at the location. The objects burned included two police vehicles, water barriers, the Integrated Police Service Center (SPKT), and a traffic police post in the Condong Catur area, not far from the headquarters.
The northern ring road area was completely paralyzed. Access for vehicles intending to enter the ring road was blocked by trucks. Shops around the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters and Pakuwon Mall also appeared to close earlier, and employees were sent home. However, the unrest did not spread anywhere, only centered at the police headquarters.
The mass action at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters itself lasted for more than five hours from dusk until midnight. The flames on the Northern Ring Road, which originated from the water barriers burned by the crowd, added to the increasingly heated situation.
Throughout the protest, the demonstrators lobbed firecrackers at the police, while the police repeatedly attempted to disperse the crowd with tear gas shots.
The mass action held by the Jogja Calling Alliance urged a thorough investigation into police repressiveness and the death penalty for an online motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver, Affan Kurniawan's assailant in Jakarta, the victim of unrest in Kanjuruhan, Malang, and Gamma in Semarang. The masses also demanded the implementation of progressive taxes and a tax on the wealthy, as well as the revocation of the property tax hike.