Protesters cheered the military’s deployment, in stark contrast to the police who were condemned as ‘killers’ amid the unrest.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has criticised the police for their handling of unrest in the capital, as thousands continued to protest on Friday evening despite heavy rain and with the military showing up at some sites.
The protests – initially over increased allowances for lawmakers at a time of economic uncertainty for many Indonesians – were fuelled by anger over the death of a motorcycle taxi driver struck by an armoured vehicle during clashes on Thursday evening. They’ve mostly been concentrated in Jakarta although there have been rallies across the country.
