Outside the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta, women raise brooms and placards in protest of lawmakers’ perks and police brutality, September 3, 2025. Image: REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan.
(The Post News) – In Indonesia, uniformed in pink shirts and armed with brooms, over a 100 women banded together in Jakarta, Indonasia on Wednesday to join ongoing protests in a demonstration organized by the Indonesian Women’s Alliance (IWA). The march marked the tenth consecutive day of a nationwide uprising against government spending and police brutality.
Indonesia’s IWA Aims to Sweep State’s Dirt
IWA said the attire was intentional, as the women aimed to “sweep the state’s dirt … and the repressiveness of security forces” in their bold pink t-shirts. They held signs that read “Reform the police” and “Your sweet promises cause diabetes.” The women sought to draw attention to systemic injustices and economic inequality perpetuated by Indonesia’s government, while also creating a striking visual metaphor for the ongoing uprising.
A protester explained that the women joined because the issues direUniformed in pink shirts and armed with brooms, over 100 women banded together to join ongoing protests in a demonstration organized by the Indonesian Women’s Alliance (IWA). The march marked the tenth consecutive day of a nationwide uprising against government spending and police brutality.
IWA said the attire was intentional, as the women aimed to “sweep the state’s dirt … and the repressiveness of security forces” in their bold pink t-shirts. They held signs that read “Reform the police” and “Your sweet promises cause diabetes.” The women sought to draw attention to systemic injustices and economic inequality perpetuated by the government while also creating a striking visual metaphor for the ongoing uprising.
A protester explained that the women joined because the issues directly affect them. The protester said they wanted to show that protests are ‘mostly peaceful’ and voice out that the government’s response of labeling demonstrators as treasonous and deploying the military is ‘questionable.’.
The uprising follows Tuesday incidents where police deployed tear gas against university students. Days earlier, on Sunday, President Prabowo Subianto warned that the military and police would confront violent mobs. Protests concerning government spending, lawmakers’ privileges, and youth unemployment had grown increasingly aggressive. There were also reports of ministers’ residences being targeted and looted.
The clashes between the public and the security forces have claimed the lives of ten people, with over 1,200 arrests reported. Damage from the uprising is estimated at $3.4 million. Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Deputy Parliament Speaker and senior party official, announced that students will be able to address the government directly on Thursday.
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