A total of 351 people were arrested by Metro Jaya Regional Police during a demonstration in front of the Indonesian Parliament building, which turned chaotic on Monday.
Of that number, 196 were minors.
“They are suspected of massively damaging public facilities, throwing objects at drivers on the toll road endangering road users, and attacking officers,” said the Head of Public Relations for Metro Jaya Regional Police.
According to the spokesperson, the hundreds arrested acted destructively. They were not part of the crowd intending to express their opinions in front of the Parliament building.
Authorities had already urged them not to engage in destruction.
“After warnings were given and they did not follow officers’ directions, control measures (arrests) were finally taken,” it was stated.
The Deputy Director of General Criminal Investigation for Metro Jaya Regional Police mentioned that they are still investigating the roles of those arrested, particularly the 155 adults.
This is because four police reports have been filed with Metro Jaya Regional Police regarding their actions, one of which involves damage to residents’ vehicles passing by during the demonstration.
“There are already four reports; three of them involve collective violence against persons, and one report involves collective violence against property or vehicles,” the official said.
Despite making arrests, police ensured the health condition of all 351 individuals. “Together with the medical team, we ensured their condition because we observed that some of them had minor injuries from falling during the action,” the statement concluded.
