On August 25, 2025, public demonstrations erupted in Indonesia after members of the House of Representatives were given a monthly housing allowance equivalent to ten times Jakarta’s minimum wage. Protests began in the capital but rapidly spread nationwide, marking the largest unrest Indonesia has faced in decades. Outrage intensified even more after an armored police vehicle fatally struck a food delivery driver who had been working and was not involved in the demonstrations. Days later, on August 29, protesters set fire to a parliamentary building in Makassar, killing three people trapped inside.
The unrest escalated further as crowds shifted from the streets to politicians' homes, damaging property and looting valuables. Images of these incidents spread, becoming potent symbols of a political elite seen as detached from the daily struggles of ordinary Indonesians. In a televised speech on August 31, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto addressed
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