Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – Jakarta Police stopped a group of student protesters, who are part of the Alliance of People's Struggle Assembly (Aliansi Majelis Perjuangan Rakyat) on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta. The students were heading to the Horse Statue area to stage a protest.

According to Tempo's observation, the student protesters' command vehicle arrived at 02:48 p.m. local time on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan. However, the vehicle stopped as the police had placed road barriers. Several police officers were seen standing in front of the barriers.

"Please open [the road], we are heading to the Horse Statue!" shouted one of the students.

Finally, student representatives approached the police officers. Both parties then held discussions.

"There's a military institution over there, a few hundred meters away, it has been measured, so this is the location," said a police officer, Sutarman, to the student representatives. "Over there, the protest site is only 150 meters away from the Ministry of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs."

He then requested the students stage a protest on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, as has been prepared.

"From pool A and pool B, even if they are heading to the Palace, they are all stopped here," said the police officer.

The field coordinator of the protest, Annur, acknowledged that the protesters could not hold their demonstration at the Horse Statue area. "Not yet, because it is prohibited by the police," said the student from Jakarta State University. "Because, they said, this has been going on for over a year."

He explained that the protest raised three demands, namely the total dismantling of the state system, saving Indonesian education, and civil sovereignty.

"So, our demands are indeed utopian, which is why this protest will continue going forward to challenge the Prabowo-Gibran cabinet," said Annur.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2114193/again-jakarta-police-block-students-from-horse-statue-protest-sit