In recent years, some news about the anarchist movement in Indonesia has appeared on the internet. --- We translate this article to try to shed some light on how fellow anarchists in this country are facing the reality of repression. --The police are arresting those labeled as "anarchists," while books are being seized again as evidence. Is the country returning to its old authoritarian ways?
Jorgiana Augustine (28), a law graduate student who volunteers as a paralegal, attends May Day in Jakarta wearing only a blue T-shirt, tights, and a shoulder bag. Jorgiana, known as Oji, plans to leave later, hoping that the demonstration will remain peaceful, unlike many recent protests in Jakarta. The festive atmosphere, with bands playing on a stage in front of the House of Representatives building, seemed to confirm her optimism.It had not been thought that her attendance would make her a suspect, with national media outlets identifying her as an "anarchist intruder" at the protest. That description came after police held a press conference making such claims.
"The use of the term 'anarchist intruder' has a negative connotation, making it seem like the word 'anarchist' is criminal when in reality it is just an ideology or an idea," says Oji.
Oji is one of 14 people arrested and charged as suspects during the May Day protests in Jakarta, including three of her fellow paramedics. The May Day protests in Bandung and Semarang also claimed to have been infiltrated by an anarchist group, making some people suspects as well.
Although Indonesia does not prohibit people from professing anarchist ideology - unlike communism or Marxism-Leninism - police often label detained protesters as part of the anarchist movement. However, Oji has never been part of any anarchist group.
Oji has filed a complaint with the Press Council about media coverage that identifies her as an "anarchist intruder". While this prompted one outlet to change its headline, many publications stuck to their original narrative. Oji wants to make it clear to the media platform that it is a problem to continue using the authority framework of "anarchist" and "intruder" to identify protesters or paralegals.
Cho Yong Gi (22), a paramedic who became a suspect in the May Day protest, says that shortly after the police arrested him, they asked him whether he was part of the anarchist movement or not. "It was the second question after they asked for my identity," he says.
Anarchism in Indonesia
The Indonesian Police Agency is publishing a video series called "Police Respond: Chaos, Police Seek Anarchists" on its official website. The series claims that anarcho-syndicalist groups have provoked some demonstrations and led them to chaos in recent years, citing recent May Day protests in Jakarta, Bandung, and Semarang as examples.
"Anarchist groups generally have the distinctive characteristic of invading protests,[such as]wearing all-black clothing, distributing propaganda through leaflets or graffiti, destroying state symbols or public facilities," says the series' voice-over.
The video explains three police approaches to the anarchist movement: "intelligence, preventive, and proportional repressive," which the publication says help balance freedom of expression with public order. Recently, President Prabowo Subianto also ordered the Police and Military Institution to take firm action against "anarchist actions."
When we requested an interview with two officials from the Indonesian Police Institution, as well as its public relations, neither responded by the time of publishing this article.
Ferdhi Putra, an independent researcher and writer on the anarchist movement in Indonesia, says that the anarchist movement has grown in Indonesia since the 1998 Reform and can now be found in both urban and rural areas across the country. However, there is a misconception about the movement that "anarchism is violence, so anyone who commits violence will be called an anarchist."
Police had previously used the label "anarcho" to describe protesters in Yogyakarta in 2018, with 11 people arrested. But Ferdhi maintains that this became a systematic pattern after then-head of the National Police, Tito Karnavian, declared that the institution would address Indonesia's "anarcho-syndicalist problem."
The statement comes after the Bandung regional police arrested 619 people wearing black clothing, then publicly stripped them of their clothes and shaved their heads. The West Java police institution's fight against the anarchist community in Bandung continues to this day, as they state that "anarchist is a common enemy" on their official website.
Ferdhi says the anarchist movement in Indonesia is very diverse. While there are those who use vandalism as a tactic, mainly towards symbols of authority, such as police stations, not all vandalism comes from the anarchist movement.
With the current pattern, Ferdhi argues that the anarchist movement may be a new "communist" where the authority identifies a common enemy based on its ideology. "This is a repetition. They (the authorities) attacked communists, then they attacked terrorists, now they are attacking anarchists." "First they attacked communists, then terrorists, now they are attacking anarchists," he says.
The challenge for the authorities, Ferdhi explains, is that anarchists do not have an organization, structure or leader, unlike communism in Indonesia. "The authorities are confused about who is responsible for the movement," says Ferdhi.
Asfinawati, a law professor and academic at the Indonesia Jentera Law School, argues that Indonesian authorities are still operating with the anti-subversive mentality of the New Order era under President Suharto. During that period, "subversive" activities were banned and authorities could raid and confiscate printed materials, including books. Anti-subversive laws were repealed in 1999, and the right to seize books ended in 2010.
"The police still adheres to authoritarian concepts in institutions. This is the most prominent indication in anarchist cases," says Asfinawati. "They don't know that now we have freedom of thought. Even being an anarchist, as long as you don't commit a crime, is not a problem."
She sees the anarchist narrative as part of an old pattern. "In '65, communism was our common enemy. Under Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, it was religious minorities, like Ahmadiyya or Shia. Then there is the LGBTI community."
Andi Achdian, a historian and professor at the National University of Jakarta, offers a different perspective, arguing that anarchism cannot be compared to Indonesian communism because communism had deep historical roots and significant political power through a party that was once among the largest in the world.
"It doesn't have a strong historical root," says Andi.
Attacking symbols
Rio Imanuel Adolf Pattinama (28), a rapper, was arrested along with friends after spray-painting graffiti that included the phrase "there is already a crisis, it's time to burn." They were soon arrested and labeled "anarcho."
During police interrogation, officers repeatedly asked who was leading the anarchist movement. Rio and his friends were later convicted of "making false news, deliberately causing unrest among the people" and imprisoned in 2020. The evidence used against them They included a black T-shirt with the circled A symbol and some books, including a book written by Tan Malaka, a national hero, entitled "Mass Action."
"Whenever there is chaos, you are always labeled as anarchist even though there is no legal basis," says Rio. "Anarchists have become the new scapegoat to replace the PKI (Communist Party)."
Unlike the communist label, which can lead to severe discrimination and social exclusion, Oji says the designation of anarchist has not created a significant social stigma in his daily life. "The real disadvantage is that it prevents people from studying different perspectives and ideologies," he explains.
Oji and three colleagues are facing charges under two articles of the Penal Code: disobeying authority (Article 216) and appearing in a crowd and failing to leave immediately after being ordered by authority three times (Article 218). On the other hand, At the same time, Oji has sued the police for alleged sexual assault, and three of her colleagues have also sued the police for alleged assault during their arrest. Both cases, where they are the suspects and have reported the arrest process, are still ongoing.
Despite their legal problems, they continue to work as paramedics at demonstrations during Prabowo Subianto's young administration. Meanwhile, the police continue to arrest hundreds of protesters and label them as anarchist groups, as seen in incidents as recent as August.
We contacted and requested interviews with the head of the Indonesian National Police Public Relations Division, Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, on August 19; Ade Ary Syam Indradi-the officer who labeled the cases of Jorgiana Augustine and Cho Yong Gi as "anarchist"-on August 26; and media relations officer Jihan Isnaini on the same day. Trunoyudo and Ade Ary never responded. Jihan initially responded to my first message but stopped responding after I mentioned the subject of the interview request.
Fadiyah Alaidrus, in Magdelane
https://federacioanarquista.wordpress.com/2026/02/17/lanarquisme-patira-la-mateixa-sort-que-el-comunisme-a-indonesia/
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Link: (en) Spaine, Catalunya, FAC: WILL ANARCHISM SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS COMMUNISM IN INDONESIA? (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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