Months-old footage of demonstrations in Indonesia has resurfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it shows recent protests in the capital Jakarta that news organisations have deliberately ignored. The narrative spread online despite local media continuing to cover months of demonstrations over the country's worsening economic situation and perceived government waste, which showed no sign of abating ahead of Independence Day on August 17.
"Protest today," says Indonesian-language text overlaid on an August 11 TikTok video, which appears to show a huge crowd of protesters while police and security personnel use barriers to hold them back.
The post goes on to criticise Indonesia's legal system, the cost of fuel and basic necessities, and decries costly government initiatives as "useless and merely breeding grounds for corruption".
Advertisement
"Funnily enough, none of the major media outlets covered it," it adds.
Comparable protest footage, including dramatic video of a building on fire, spread in other YouTube, Instagram and TikTok posts insinuating large-scale demonstrations were going unreported in Indonesia.
The posts circulated online following protests that erupted in several Indonesian cities in June after the government hiked prices of non-subsidised gasoline, seeking to alleviate budget pressures as the Middle East war chokes global oil supplies ( archived link).
The demonstrations were the latest in a youth-led movement sparked by public anger over the ...
Months-old footage of demonstrations in Indonesia has resurfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it shows recent protests in the capital Jakarta that news organisations have deliberately ign...