Different accounts of how the confrontation began
Yogyakarta Police spokesperson Ihsan distinguished between an afternoon rally at Kilometer Zero Point and a group that appeared near the council building later that evening. He said the earlier demonstrators had dispersed by about 5:30 p.m.
In Ihsan's account, the later group allegedly directed firecrackers at parking attendants on Jalan Perwakilan, setting off a confrontation. Officers posted near the council building intervened to separate and disperse the crowd, he said.
Ihsan said the group resisted, driving officers back inside the building as stones, firecrackers and fireworks were thrown. Police then sent in crowd-control personnel to move the group out of Malioboro.
Other reports described the participants differently. KRjogja said the rally crowd moved north from Kilometer Zero toward the DPRD area after 6 p.m. WIB. IDN Times described protesters confronting police and mass organizations, known as ormas, that were guarding the council area. It said efforts to mediate failed and police deployed a water-cannon vehicle.
Harian Jogja placed the clashes around both the council building and the Yogyakarta Special Region Governor's Office. The police account, reported by Tempo, did not include testimony from demonstrators, parking attendants or other witnesses about how the confrontation started.
The rally and its demands
The earlier demonstration marked Youth Pledge Day, or Hari Sumpah Pemuda, and criticized the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, according to Harian Jogja and IDN Times. Participants included students, online motorcycle-taxi drivers known as ojol, and football supporters from the Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY).
Speakers at Kilometer Zero included Gadjah Mada University (UGM) law professor Zainal Arifin Mochtar, known as Uceng, and Professor Masduki of the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII), KRjogja reported.
Harian Jogja reported demands for decent wages and objections to policies demonstrators considered contrary to the public interest. Protesters also raised allegations of repression by security personnel and corruption involving Mandala Krida Stadium.
The Jogja Memanggil Alliance called for forest and land fires, known as karhutla, to be declared a national disaster and for corporations found responsible to be prosecuted. It also challenged the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program over food safety and alleged misuse of its budget, and urged the government to redirect state funds toward free, scientific and democratic education, according to Harian Jogja.
Fires, injuries and dispersal
Kaltim Post reported fires at several locations along Malioboro, with protesters burning water barriers, iron fences, bottles and banners, while walls were marked with vandalism. Some traders shut their businesses. The outlet described a mostly black-clad crowd repeatedly throwing firecrackers at hundreds of officers carrying shields, and said police used a water-cannon vehicle to push the crowd back.
Several injured officers were taken behind the council building for medical treatment, Kaltim Post reported. IDN Times also reported seeing injured people, but said their number, identities and the precise causes of their injuries remained unknown at the time of its report.
By about 8:40 p.m. WIB, the crowd was being driven both north and south of the council area, according to KRjogja. Officers detained some people for questioning, and some protesters and officers were taken to hospitals for treatment. The outlet said the area had begun to empty by 9:15 p.m., though scuffles between residents continued on Jalan Perwakilan.
Ihsan said police had brought the Malioboro area under control by about 10 p.m. Officers pushed the crowd north toward a railway crossing, Jalan Mangkubumi and Tugu Jogja; its last location known to him was near Tugu Jogja.
Harian Jogja reported advice for residents and tourists to avoid Malioboro and the surrounding area temporarily. Ihsan voiced concern about possible damage to public facilities and said officers would remain on standby to prevent further disturbances and protect residents and visitors.
