Demonstrators from UGM campus, the UGM Student Alliance, UPN “Veteran” Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta State University (UNY) and other universities gathering to protest in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on September 1. (SEA Daily/Hananto Satyo)
Hundreds of students gathered at the Gramedia Four-Way Intersection on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on September 1, 2026, in a demonstration that began peacefully in the afternoon but turned violent by nightfall after clashes with a civilian group.
Around 300 students from the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Student Alliance, joined by members of other university student bodies, marched from UGM and reached the intersection at around 4:00 p.m. local time. The demonstrators voiced criticism of government policies and called for a change in national leadership.
A speaker from UGM, Mesa, said the many grievances raised by the crowd had been distilled into a single central demand. He argued that with the number of issues potentially reaching as many as 200, it made more sense to consolidate them around what he described as the root problem, the current administration, and to call for its removal. Beyond the call for leadership change, protesters also criticised government handling of disaster response, natural resource management, the national budget, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme and the Merah Putih Village Co-operative initiative.
The demonstration proceeded without incident until around 7:00 p.m., when a group of 20 to 30 people arrived identifying themselves as local residents and members of civil society organisations, including Jaga Warga (Protect the People) and Forum Jogja Damai (Yogyakarta Peace Forum). The group called on the protesters to disperse, saying the road blockade had disrupted local businesses and that the demonstration had exceeded a time limit set under National Police Chief regulations.
A scuffle broke out between the two sides at around 7:30 p.m. The two groups later agreed that the students would withdraw under police escort once the civil society group also dispersed, but at around 9:30 p.m. the group instead pushed the demonstrators back toward the UGM roundabout. Amid the confusion, members of the civil society group threw bottles, stones and pieces of wood at the retreating students as well as beating and kicking several protesters. Police intervened and detained some members of the group, though the attack continued for a time before the intersection reopened to traffic at around 10:15 p.m.
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