Alfarizy Ajie Fadhillah, Jakarta – Tensions marked an Indonesian Women's Alliance's (API) long march in the centre of the capital on Thursday June 18.
The protesters, who were dominated by housewives wearing pink and house dresses succeeded in recording a dramatic moment by breaking through a police blockade at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle area in Central Jakarta
The success of the masses in penetrating this iconic point in Jakarta has been in the public spotlight bearing in mind that during the student action last Friday (12/6/2026), the masses completely failed to reach the HI traffic circle because security was very tight.
According to monitoring by Tribunnews journalists at the location, the police initially tried to appease the mass movement by diverting their route through small roads around the Sudirman-Thamrin business district. This strategy however did not deter dozens of women who continued to beat their kitchen utensils.
Tension climaxed on Jalan Teluk Betung I where police had put up strong barricades to block the crowd from entering the HI traffic circle area. Pushing and shoving between the demonstrators and police was inevitable.
During this moment a number of female police officers who were on duty in the front row of the barricades fell because they were pressed in by the crowd who were pushing forward.
The police appeared overwhelmed because the mass action strategy this time round tended to be "fluid" and not concentrated in just one busy point, making it difficult to contain.
After successfully getting through the authorities' encirclement on Jalan Teluk Betung, the crowd finally spilled over into the HI traffic circle.
They celebrated this small victory by holding a short demonstration in the HI traffic circle TransJakarta bus stop area.
The sound of banging pans and spatulas was accompanied by speeches demanding a reduction in food prices, the creation of job opportunities and an end to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, which is considered problematic.
After conveying their aspirations at the HI traffic circle, the protesters did not stop but continued their long march towards the nearby State Palace.
Jakarta's intensely hot weather forced the demonstrators to stop for a moment to catch their breath and fill their stomachs. At around 11.40 am the crowd was observed resting at the Sarinah intersection in Thamrin.
While sitting on the sidewalk with posters still held up, the action participants were seen sharing drinking water with each other before preparing to continue their march towards the final destination, namely President Prabowo Subianto's office.
After moving away from the Sarinah area towards the National Monument (Monas) with a tight police security who remained on guard along the route, the protesters were again intercepted by police right at the MH Thamrin-Kebon Sirih intersection.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Emak-emak Tembus Blokade Bundaran HI, Polwan Jatuh Terdesak Massa Aliansi Perempuan".]
