{"id":61309,"date":"2026-08-14T01:42:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:42:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/indonesian-posts-tar-news-media-with-false-claim-of-ignoring-protests\/14\/08\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T01:42:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:42:53","slug":"indonesian-posts-tar-news-media-with-false-claim-of-ignoring-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/indonesian-posts-tar-news-media-with-false-claim-of-ignoring-protests\/14\/08\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Indonesian posts tar news media with false claim of ignoring protests"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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\u00a0 August 17.<\/p>\n

“Protest today,” says Indonesian-language text overlaid on an August 11\u00a0 TikTok video<\/a>, which appears to show a huge crowd of protesters while police and security personnel use barriers to hold them back.<\/p>\n

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”.<\/p>\n

“Funnily enough, none of the major media outlets covered it,” it adds.<\/p>\n

Comparable protest footage, including dramatic video of a building on fire, spread in other\u00a0 YouTube<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and TikTok posts<\/a> insinuating large-scale demonstrations were going unreported in Indonesia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Screenshot of the false post captured on August 12, 2026, with a red X added by AFP<\/p>\n

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Screenshot of a false post containing comparable protest footage captured on August 11, 2026, with a red X added by AFP<\/p>\n

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The posts circulated online following protests that erupted<\/a> 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The demonstrations were the latest in a youth-led movement\u00a0sparked by public anger over the economy<\/a>, the handling of corruption cases<\/a>, and suspicion<\/a> of expensive state-funded projects<\/a> — such as the Free Nutritious Meals programme and the establishment of village cooperatives (archived links here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Indonesia’s biggest unrest since President Prabowo Subianto took office in 2024 came last August and September<\/a>, 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

June demonstration<\/h2>\n

A reverse image search<\/a> using keyframes<\/a> from the video of protesters and police led to a similar clip shared June 12 on TikTok<\/a>\u00a0( archived link<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n

A subsequent keyword search<\/a> found a protest involving Indonesian students had taken place that day around the Indonesia Hotel (HI) Roundabout in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n

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