Months-old footage of demonstrations in Indonesia has resurfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it shows recent protests in the capital Jakarta that news organisations have deliberately ignored. The narrative spread online despite local media continuing to cover months of demonstrations over the country’s worsening economic situation and perceived government waste, which showed no sign of abating ahead of Independence Day on August 17.
“Protest today,” says Indonesian-language text overlaid on an August 11 TikTok video, which appears to show a huge crowd of protesters while police and security personnel use barriers to hold them back.
The post goes on to criticise Indonesia’s legal system, the cost of fuel and basic necessities, and decries costly government initiatives as “useless and merely breeding grounds for corruption”.
“Funnily enough, none of the major media outlets covered it,” it adds.
Comparable protest footage, including dramatic video of a building on fire, spread in other YouTube, Instagram and TikTok posts insinuating large-scale demonstrations were going unreported in Indonesia.
Screenshot of the false post captured on August 12, 2026, with a red X added by AFP
Screenshot of a false post containing comparable protest footage captured on August 11, 2026, with a red X added by AFP
The posts circulated online following protests that erupted in several Indonesian cities in June after the government hiked prices of non-subsidised gasoline, seeking to alleviate budget pressures as the Middle East war chokes global oil supplies ( archived link).
The demonstrations were the latest in a youth-led movement sparked by public anger over the economy, the handling of corruption cases, and suspicion of expensive state-funded projects — such as the Free Nutritious Meals programme and the establishment of village cooperatives (archived links here, here, here and here).
Indonesia’s biggest unrest since President Prabowo Subianto took office in 2024 came last August and September, when nationwide protests over lavish perks for lawmakers spiralled into anger after a police vehicle ran over a delivery driver and killed him ( archived link).
The footage circulating online does show some of those demonstrations — but it is not recent, as social media posts allege, and local media covered all of them.
June demonstration
A reverse image search using keyframes from the video of protesters and police led to a similar clip shared June 12 on TikTok ( archived link).
A subsequent keyword search found a protest involving Indonesian students had taken place that day around the Indonesia Hotel (HI) Roundabout in Central Jakarta.
Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and TikTok video
The buildings visible in the background of the video also correspond with Google Street View imagery of the area around the HI Roundabout ( archived link).
AFP took photos of the protest and reported that hundreds of students had taken part to rally against budget waste and a steep rise in non-subsidised fuel prices ( archived link).
This aerial picture shows students protesting to demand a reduction in fuel prices and the dissolution of the free meal program, which they consider to be a hotbed of corruption, in Jakarta on June 12, 2026
BAY ISMOYOAFP
Police officers push back a barricade as university students protest against a steep rise in non-subsidised fuel prices and the government’s budget waste, urging authorities to halt the free school meals programme (MBG), in Jakarta on June 12, 2026
Aditya IrawanAFP
Local media outlets Tempo and Kompas also covered the demonstration (archived here and here).
Another clip in the falsely shared video of police engaging with protesters traces back to the June 12 rally, as well.
A reverse image search using keyframes led to the same footage uploaded to YouTube by online news outlet Kilat ( archived link).
Screenshot comparison of false post (L) and YouTube video
“Protests on Sudirman Heat Up, Police Barricades Breached in Tosari Area,” reads its Indonesian-language caption, referring to the business district area.
The footage also corresponds to AFP’s photos of the demonstration and Google Street View imagery of the area ( archived link).
Year-old clip
A reverse image search using keyframes of the footage depicting a building on fire found it was also not taken recently.
A regional news outlet shared the video on Instagram in late August 2025, with a caption saying it shows the Makassar Regional Council building in South Sulawesi province ( archived link).
Screenshot comparison of footage used in the false post (L) and in an August 2025 Instagram post
AFP reported at the time that at least three people were killed by the fire, which was started by protesters angry over the death of the delivery driver hit by a police vehicle during an earlier rally ( archived link).
AFP captured photos and video of the fire at the provincial legislative building.
Nurdin AmirAFPTV
Kompas and state-owned news agency Antara also reported on the unrest (archived here and here).