Solidarity silent auction for protesters in Indonesia
On September 21 an information session and silent auction was held at DoughEV in solidarity with the struggles of the Indonesian people. Sabotage Media and the London chapter of the International Socialists hosted the event as a fundraiser to send money for the purchase of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies for those affected by police violence during the ongoing protests.
The evening began describing how the event was imagined, as one of the organizers, Kepler Altiora, explained that their friend had sent a concerning message explaining why they wouldn’t be online much in the future.
“Hey guys I wanted to pop in to kinda leave a semi-leaving message…There’s currently riots in Indonesia…Unfortunately me being a part of the pol sci faculty means that I will also be involved a lot and my life will be on the line…atm my campus is targeted by police brutalities,” the message read.
The protests began over austerity and tax measures targeting more vulnerable sections of society, and members of parliament receiving a significant increase to their housing stipend.
According to an Al Jazeera report, the 50 million rupiah ($4200 Canadian) housing benefit alone amounts to 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage and about 20 times the monthly minimum wage in poorer provinces and regions of the country.
Issues of transparency and government corruption compound the disparity between wages of public officials and over 28 billion Indonesians living in poverty.
Kepler said, “At first, the protests were smaller and more peaceful, until police deployed tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. Then, on August 28, they were caught on camera ramming into protesters with an armored vehicle and killing a motorcycle delivery driver, Affan Kurniawan. The video went viral and became a catalyst for larger protests.”
The death of Affan Kurniawan, sparked riots that went on to burn down government offices across the country. Anarchist organizers aligned with the Indonesia Gelap movement have claimed that demonstrations took place in 107 locations across 32 provinces from August 25–28, 2025. Indonesian officials have responded by “calling the people stupid for protesting or claiming that members of parliament deserve high salaries because they are not commoners.” Protesters, led by students, workers, and human rights groups, have called for the dissolution of the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, the country’s national legislature. Hundreds of women have joined the protests wielding brooms and marched on parliament.
At the event, audience members watched videos of the protests, clashes between protesters and state police forces, and the funeral procession of the delivery driver.
Local community members donated art, books, and crafts to help raise money.
Once the presentation had ended, attendees were invited to discuss their thoughts on the unfolding situation in Indonesia. Murilo Trigo da Paz, an audience member, noted that the Straw Hat Flag — from the popular manga series One Piece — has been seen repeatedly in pictures from protests. Trigo noted that the flag and manga series it hails from represent a kind of freedom that the protesters possibly related to.
The Indonesian government has cracked down on the use of the flag, with deputy house speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad calling the flag a provocation and a sign of treason, demanding it be banned.
Connections were drawn from Indonesian history, as a US backed coup by General Suharto brought down the democratic government of independence leader President Sukarno, and an anti-communist purge killed hundreds of thousands. The current president of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto was a military officer accused of human rights abuses in East Timor and West Papua.
An Indonesian attendee commented on the social media shutdowns which had occurred, blocking people from sharing their experiences. Attendees also discussed the recent revolution in Nepal, which similarly burned down government buildings and succeeded in overturning the government. In Nepal, the protesters democratically chose the new interim prime minister over the gaming and messaging application, Discord.
Comparisons were also made in the tactics used by protesters, as audience members drew the connections between the fireworks targeted at police as a tactic used during the 2020 uprising in Minneapolis and other cities in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The presentation, and the discussion afterwards, serves as a reminder that solidarity knows no borders and that movements reverberate across the world — learning and growing alongside one another.
Sabotage Media encouraged audience members to reach out to contribute further in support of the Indonesian protesters.
