TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Representatives of protesters who gathered at the Gramedia intersection in Yogyakarta on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, have rejected a police claim that demonstrators sprayed officers with a pepper-based substance during clashes.
The protesters issued their rebuttal Thursday, September 3, at the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) roundabout. Dozens of students from several universities said information circulated by the Yogyakarta Police (Polda DIY) on social media was misleading.
"The police's information about protesters spraying police with a liquid containing pepper powder was false and an attempt to shape public opinion," said Mesa, a UGM student representative.
Mesa said photographs and videos cited by police as evidence actually showed UGM's medical team carrying bottles containing ordinary water to treat protesters affected by pepper spray.
The medical team used the water to relieve eye irritation and other physical effects among protesters during the demonstration, which lasted from around 4 p.m. to nearly 10 p.m.
According to Mesa, the bottles were filled by the medical team at a mosque near the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) campus in Terban, Cik Ditiro, in the presence of campus security personnel. He said the liquid was not a harmful substance prepared as a weapon.
"The photos and videos used as evidence by the Polda DIY public relations team actually showed our medical team carrying a neutralizing liquid to treat protesters' eyes after they were exposed to pepper spray from a mass organization, not the other way around," Mesa said.
UGM's medical team also demonstrated the equipment during Thursday's statement.
Protesters describe clashes
Mesa said the protesters, who identified themselves as the Civil Society Alliance, had remained cooperative while expressing their demands, including making way for ambulances passing through the area.
The situation allegedly became tense at around 7:15 p.m. following what protesters described as provocation by a group of civilians associated with a mass organization. They alleged that the group acted aggressively while police failed to intervene effectively.
The confrontation escalated shortly before 10 p.m. after a police-mediated agreement to end the demonstration was allegedly not followed, according to the protesters.
Maul, a representative of the Yogyakarta Veterans National Development University, said the group moved toward the protesters and intimidated them as demonstrators retreated toward the UGM Boulevard.
"When an ambulance passed through the crowd, the group immediately attacked protesters with stones, pieces of wood, firecrackers, baseball bats, and weapons such as karambits and cutters," Maul said.
He alleged that police instead pushed protesters backward, causing several people at the front of the crowd to fall and be trampled.
At least six protesters were injured and taken to hospitals, according to the student representatives. They included female protesters and a student journalist who suffered a head injury after being struck by a can.
The protesters also alleged that the group continued throwing stones through the gates of the UGM campus, where demonstrators sought refuge.
Protesters demand apology
The student representatives also questioned restrictions on demonstration hours, which they said police had used as a basis for dispersing the crowd.
They cited Law No. 9 of 1998 on freedom of expression and Article 28E(3) of the 1945 Constitution, arguing that neither explicitly prohibits public demonstrations at night.
The protesters have given Polda DIY 48 hours to issue a public apology over what they described as police inaction during the violence and the dissemination of false information.
The student alliance and medical volunteers have also established a post and hotline to provide medical assistance to victims and collect further evidence.
Police give different account
Polda DIY previously gave its account of the clashes.
Police public relations chief Commissioner Ihsan said the unrest stemmed from the closure of roads and the duration of the demonstration, which ran from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
"There was a misunderstanding between protesters and residents because the road closure led to a minor disturbance, but the situation was brought under control," Ihsan said Tuesday night.
He said pushing between the groups resulted in several protesters falling and being injured as they were moved toward the UGM roundabout.
Ihsan also said several police officers were exposed to a chemical substance during the incident.
"The injured were immediately treated and evacuated using UGM ambulances to Panti Rapih Hospital. All of the victims were able to return home that night," he said.
According to Ihsan, officers securing the area were also affected by what he described as pepper spray during the clashes and received treatment in police ambulances.
He said police had focused on a "humanist" approach while securing the demonstration and protecting the public's right to express their views in public.
