TAUD Defends Protesters, Says Police Behind Violence at Labor Day Rally

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) has denied claims that anarchist groups infiltrated the International Labor Day rally held in front of the House of Representatives on Thursday. The civil society coalition emphasized that all participants were unaffiliated citizens.

"They’re ordinary citizens who care deeply about the issues, but they have no ties to that group," said TAUD representative Yulianto Behar Nggali Mara when interviewed by Tempo at the Metro Jaya Police Headquarters on Friday, May 2, 2025.

Yulianto, instead, criticized the authorities for their repressive response to the demonstration, noting that one of the detained protesters is now hospitalized at Siloam Hospital.

"We suspect there was a beating. We don't know who the perpetrator is, but we suspect it was from the authorities," he said.

The coalition also condemned what they described as arbitrary arrests and violence used against demonstrators.

"This process, if we look at it, is actually a silencing of critical voices," Yulianto added.

Earlier, police had detained 13 demonstrators during the Labor Day rally, which turned chaotic outside the Parliament complex. Metro Jaya Police spokesperson Grand Commissioner Ade Ary Syam Indradi accused the arrested individuals of being infiltrators who provoked unrest.

"The demonstration in front of the House building was infiltrated by troublemakers from the anarchists," Ade stated on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Ade claimed that the protestors’ actions disrupted public order and constituted a criminal offense.

"They threw objects that endangered the safety of passing motorists," he said in a press conference the following day.

The Labor Day protest escalated after objects were hurled at police, prompting officers to respond with water cannons. The clash intensified as demonstrators continued throwing items and firecrackers, resulting in several arrests.

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