Jakarta – Protesters from the "Weekend of Resistance" movement held a demonstration in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) complex in Central Jakarta on Friday March 6, 2026.
During the action, the protesters strongly criticised President Prabowo Subianto over the Indonesian government's stance on the United States and Israel's attack on Iranian territory.
A speaker at the action, Centra Initiative Management Board Chairperson Al Araf, said that the criticisms directed at President Prabowo are in the context of the government's position which is seen as not showing a firm response to the alleged violations of international law.
"When a violation of international law and the Constitution occurs, the first person who must take a stand is the president. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened", Al Araf said after giving a speech at the action.
According to Al Araf, as head of state, the president should take a firm stand against all forms of imperialism and colonialism perpetrated by superpowers. He considers the attack by the US and Israel on Iran last weekend to be a violation of the principles of international law.
Al Araf also highlighted the stance of several national figures who have recently condemned the attack, including former vice president Jusuf Kalla and former president Megawati Sukarnoputri.
Meanwhile, he argued that the Indonesian government had not yet issued a statement that is considered sufficiently firm.
In his speech, Al Araf also linked the government's stance to Indonesia's membership in the Board of Peace (BoP). He suspected that Indonesia's involvement in the forum has influenced the government's foreign policy position.
He stated that the BoP forum was initiated by United States President Donald Trump, who has also been named as its chairperson. "This is what keeps Prabowo locked in by Trump", Al Araf said.
Based on this, the Civil Society Coalition, which also joined in the Weekend of Resistance action, is urging the government to withdraw Indonesia from its membership in the BoP.
According to Al Araf, leaving the forum would not weaken Indonesia's position in fighting for world peace. He believes that Indonesia still has many other diplomatic channels, such as through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations Security Council.
"If anyone says that Indonesia's withdrawal from the BoP will only make us spectators, I firmly believe that is wrong", said Al Araf, a lecturer in defence and security studies at the Brawijaya University.
Earlier, calls for Indonesia to withdraw from the BoP were also voiced by a number of different groups including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), academics, universities and students.
In a MUI sermon, contained in letter number Kep-28/DP-MUI/III/2026, the organisation urged the government to consider revoking Indonesia's membership of the BoP.
The MUI believes the forum has not demonstrated its effectiveness in achieving Palestinian independence, especially following the latest geopolitical dynamics involving the US and Israel in the attack on Iran.
The Weekend of Resistance protest itself took place under police guard and proceeded orderly until the crowd dispersed voluntarily.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Desak Prabowo Menarik Diri dari BoP Massa 'Weekend Melawan' Demo di DPR".]
Source: https://mantiknews.com/desak-prabowo-menarik-diri-dari-bop-massa-weekend-melawan-demo-di-dpr/
