Radical May Day in Indonesia (2025)

Anarchists took to the streets in several cities across Indonesia, such as Surabaya, Malang, Solo and Makassar.

Especially in the major cities Jakarta and Semarang (Central Java) clashes broke out between workers and riot cops.

JAKARTA

In Jakarta an alliance of radical unions took to the streets. At least 14 workers were detained.

Civil groups from all walks of life commemorate May Day by staging a rally in front of the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Jakarta, on May 1, 2025. […]
The rally was joined by the Indonesian Women’s Alliance, Campus Workers Union, Independent Journalists Alliance, The Indonesian Media and Creative Industry Workers Union for Democracy (Sindikasi), and the Congress of the Indonesia Unions Alliance (Kasbi). They are part of the Labor Movement Together with the People (Gebrak). […]
The posters illustrate demands and protests from varied perspectives, from labor to women. One of the posters read: “May Day is not a holiday. This is the day to fight back.” […]
“The Gebrak Alliance stresses that the Indonesian Labor Movement cannot be claimed by anyone or any group whose ultimate goal is to get a piece of the ‘power’ pie,” they wrote in a statement on Thursday, May 1, 2025. […]
there are five demands brought by Gebrak in today’s rally, including:

  1. Revoke the Omnibus Law on Job Creation and enact a pro-labor Manpower Bill;
  2. Enact the Domestic Workers Protection Bill and recognize the status of informal sector workers such as online motorcycle taxi drivers and couriers;
  3. Stop evictions, implement genuine agrarian reform;
  4. Stop national strategic projects that damage the environment and enact the Indigenous People Bill;
  5. Revoke the Military Law and reject military involvement in civilian affairs.

source: en.tempo.co

SEMARANG

In Semarang (Central Java) students (mainly anarchists) and workers took to the streets and clashed with cops.

media reports: en.tempo.co, voi.id

BANDUNG

In Bandung anarchists smashed at least one police car.

Students of Liga Mahasiswa in Malaysia expressed their support for the workers effected by state repression during May Day in Indonesia.

Note: The activities during May Day 2025 in Indonesia were not linked to the call for Global May Day 2025.

Leave a Reply