Indonesia is teetering on the edge of upheaval. What began as outrage over lawmakers receiving housing allowances nearly ten times the national minimum wage has ignited a nationwide revolt challenging the very foundation of the state. On August 28, 2025, 21-year-old ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan was run over and killed by a police armored vehicle during a protest in Jakarta. Video of the incident went viral, triggering waves of anger across the archipelago. Streets erupted. Buildings were stormed. Luxury cars were seized from senators’ homes, and ministry offices set ablaze. Security forces struggled to contain the unrest, arresting over 2,500 people in Jakarta alone.
The atmosphere in Jakarta is electric. Citizens openly speak of a city ready to explode. TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter are ablaze with livestreams of confrontations, footage of police brutality, and ordinary citizens reclaiming the streets. Hashtags like KaburAjaDulu (“Just Escape First”) and #JakartaBangkit (“Jakarta Rises”) trend daily. One student wrote: “Every stolen allowance, every act of oppression, will cost them everything.” Another in Surabaya commented: “Jakarta will burn before we stay silent.” Social media has become the backbone of coordination, allowing protests across islands to synchronize actions and amplify impact.
Social Media: The Digital Battlefield
TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter have become crucial for organizing, mobilizing, and documenting. Activists share maps of safe routes, livestream confrontations, and post updates from provincial towns. This decentralized communication bypasses state-controlled media censorship, allowing citizens to mobilize in real time. Netizens post messages of solidarity: “We are not just fighting for our rights; we are fighting for our dignity,” one Jakarta student wrote. Another in Bandung added: “We rise together, from Java to Maluku to West Papua.”
Social media is also a shield. Protesters upload instructions on avoiding police checkpoints, distributing food and medical aid, and documenting human rights abuses. One Sorong resident wrote: “If the world doesn’t see us, we will make them see. Every TikTok is a bullet, every post is a protest.” Digital networks bridge Indonesia’s vast geography, making this movement cohesive despite the archipelago’s thousands of islands. Telegram and private WhatsApp groups coordinate local marches and provide real-time safety alerts.
West Papua and Maluku: Occupied States
In Sorong, West Papua, tensions escalated on August 27 following the transfer of four Papuan political prisoners to Makassar, South Sulawesi. Hundreds of locals barricaded streets and government offices demanding their release. Police responded with tear gas and live ammunition, killing one protester and injuring several others. Twenty were arrested; sixteen were later released, while four remain detained. The deployment of 100 elite Mobile Brigade officers further escalated tensions, widely seen as an intimidation tactic. Videos circulated online showing children and elders sitting in front of armored vehicles chanting “Free West Papua!”
Nearby, Jayapura and Nabire also witnessed demonstrations. Protesters demanded autonomy and an end to decades of marginalization. Maluku, particularly Ambon, erupted after the death of a local ojek driver during a protest. Hundreds marched to administrative buildings, defying water cannons and tear gas. TikTok and Instagram are essential for coordination, with posts showing youth linking arms in front of police lines, chanting slogans condemning Jakarta’s neglect.
These regions are not merely protesting immediate grievances—they are asserting cultural identity, political autonomy, and resistance against centuries of Javanese imperialism. Sorong, Jayapura, and Ambon have become epicenters for the broader anti- imperial struggle. One viral TikTok clip from Sorong showed teenagers raising the Morning Star flag while police looked on, a symbolic act inspiring solidarity nationwide. Online, hashtags like PapuaMerdeka (#FreePapua) and #MalukuBebas (#FreeMaluku) circulate with hundreds of thousands of views, demonstrating growing national awareness.
Nationwide Unrest
While Jakarta, Sorong, and Maluku are epicenters, unrest has spread across Indonesia. Medan saw students blockade government offices for three days demanding accountability. Surabaya witnessed protesters occupy the provincial parliament, seizing documents and chanting against corruption. Bandung and Yogyakarta experienced sit-ins linking local grievances to the national anti-corruption movement. Cities in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi reported similar protests, highlighting systemic dissatisfaction.
The killing of Kurniawan was the spark, but underlying causes run deep. Citizens demand transparency, accountability, and systemic change. Looting and arson have become visible symbols of resistance. Senators’ homes, ministry offices, and local government buildings were stormed; cars, laptops, and official documents were taken to expose corruption. Fires erupted in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Ambon. Clashes with police have resulted in at least 35 deaths nationwide, hundreds of injuries, and thousands of arrests.
Netizens directly connect corruption in Jakarta with historical oppression of outer islands. One Sorong resident wrote online: “Jakarta has ruled us like conquered territory for centuries. Now we take the streets and demand freedom.” Another in Ambon posted: “Not just allowances, not just oil and resources—they have stolen our identity. Today we fight for our children’s future.”
Looting and Escalation
Looting has become a symbolic act against the elite. Cars, documents, and luxury goods taken from senators’ homes are broadcast online as evidence of systemic theft and inequality. Ministry offices and government buildings have been set ablaze. Casualties rise daily, with over 40 deaths reported and hundreds injured. Thousands face arrest, while international observers condemn excessive force. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticized the state for arbitrary arrests and lethal tactics.
Escalation continues as each crackdown fuels further resistance. Videos of Sorong residents blocking roads, Ambon youth clashing with police, and Jakarta students chanting in solidarity show that unrest is self-reinforcing. Looting, arson, and attacks on elite residences serve both as protest and documentation, exposing inequality and sparking international attention.
The Role of the Left
Indonesia’s left-wing movements have historically faced repression: activists arrested, organizations infiltrated, dissent criminalized. Yet this wave merges citizen anger with revolutionary ideology. Economic inequality, political corruption, and decades of Javanese dominance create conditions for leftist ideas to enter mainstream consciousness.
One Jakarta student wrote online: “This is about dismantling centuries of oppression. Today Jakarta, tomorrow the entire country.” Another in Sorong said: “We fight for our people, for our land, for our right to exist free from Jakarta’s chains.” Citizens increasingly link regional autonomy movements with broader social and economic justice, reflecting a growing left-wing consciousness. The movement is no longer just anti-corruption; it’s anti-imperial, anti-oppression, and revolutionary in tone.
The left’s online presence is critical. TikTok and Instagram posts connect struggles in Sorong, Ambon, and Jakarta. Twitter threads show solidarity across regions, combining economic, cultural, and political grievances. Digital activism ensures coordination, mobilization, and visibility. Ordinary citizens are using both streets and screens as instruments of rebellion.
Looting of Political Houses and Rising Violence
The looting of senators’ houses has become a defining feature of this uprising. In Jakarta, videos show protesters entering mansions, taking luxury cars, computers, and files exposing corruption. Fires broke out in several ministerial offices, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Public Works. Social media captures these moments in real time, with TikTok users narrating events from rooftops and balconies. One viral clip shows protesters overturning SUVs outside a senator’s estate, chanting: “Your greed will not stand!”
Reports from Surabaya and Bandung indicate that student-led groups are occupying government buildings, distributing food, and forming autonomous zones. Police responses have included rubber bullets, tear gas, and live ammunition. Casualty numbers continue to rise, with confirmed deaths surpassing 45 and more than 3,000 arrests nationwide. Online, a student in Medan wrote: “If they kill one of us, ten will rise. This is bigger than Jakarta. This is Indonesia.”
What Next
Indonesia stands at a historic crossroads. The government’s inability to suppress dissent reveals systemic weakness. Jakarta, Sorong, Ambon, and other regions demonstrate that ordinary citizens and marginalized communities are prepared to challenge centuries of political dominance. A left-wing revolution is conceivable, focusing on economic justice, minority rights, and dismantling entrenched hierarchies. West Papua and Maluku may finally gain cultural freedom and political autonomy.
The streets are alive, social media amplifies every act of defiance, and the energy of the movement is relentless. August 2025 may be remembered as the moment Indonesia’s peripheries and ordinary
citizens rose to demand justice, equality, and freedom. For minority populations in West Papua and Maluku, this is a historic opportunity to reclaim identity and autonomy long suppressed by Javanese-centric governance. If the movement succeeds, Indonesia could witness not just a political shift but a social revolution, finally recognizing the rights of indigenous and marginalized communities.
The coming weeks will determine whether this is temporary upheaval or the start of profound transformation. Citizens are awake, the streets are alive, and the movement is unstoppable. The dismantling of Javanese imperial dominance is conceivable, along with the creation of a more equitable Indonesia.