On 20 October 2026, Greenpeace activists put up a banner on top of the Welcome Statue in Jakarta. This action was carried out to criticize the government’s half-hearted response to forest fires and ecological disasters in Indonesia. The banners displayed the messages: “Tangani Krisis Iklim, Turunkan Biaya Hidup” and “Bencana Makin Parah, Hidup Makin Susah, Apa Kerja Pemerintah?” (Address the Climate Crisis, Lower the Cost of Living” and “Disasters Are Getting Worse, Life Is Getting Harder, What Is the Government Doing?).
Following this action, six Greenpeace activists were arrested by the police. The police stated that the activists had failed to consider public safety and order and removed them from the monnument. In addition to the Greenpeace activists, a student protest in Pontianak, which raised concerns about toxic haze and forest fires, also faced confrontation with the police. The suppression of the protest occurred when the police used water cannons and forced the protesters to withdraw from their activities.
As the forest fires as well as the toxic haze caused by them continue to pose risks for affected communities, it is expected that protests in response to the situation will continue as well. Various groups in society have already taken action to raise awareness, linking the situation to other community concerns such as economic conditions and social issues. In the future, this emerging movement is expected to continue and grow, organizing more protest actions across the country. With upcoming, potentially larger protests, the risk of these protests being met with repression, intimidation, and restrictions imposed by security forces also rises.
Such restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly – those already observed during the protests in Jakarta and Pontianak as well as those expected in the coming weeks – may have broader impacts on the enabling environment creating fear among civil society organizations, students, and members of the public who want to criticize government policies or raise environmental issues. It is therefore essential that future protests are closely monitored for potential incidents of repression and that freedom of assembly is guaranteed for civil society to continue raising relevant concerns, including those related to forest fire-induced toxic haze.