Indonesian Anarchists Persecuted Under Fog of Counterterrorist Conspiracism

Cover: via https://freedomnews.org.uk/2026/05/25/indonesia-after-the-genz-rebellions-and-crackdown/

Palang Hitam International || One of the detainees arrested during the May Day 2026 protests in Bandung, RR alias Mpe, who was previously accused of being the “leader of an anarchist group,” has now been charged by the police under terrorism laws. He has also reportedly been placed in isolation and denied access to legal counsel of his own choosing, raising serious concerns over the violation of a suspect’s right to provide testimony freely and without coercion, intimidation, or pressure.

In this case, the police appear to be employing the same narrative pattern used during last August’s unrest: identifying a supposed “mastermind,” “leader,” or individual believed to have planned and orchestrated the riots. Law enforcement authorities maintain that prosecuting those considered to be the driving force behind unrest can prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future. In practice, however, such an approach has often functioned as an authoritarian mechanism for criminalizing groups deemed disruptive to political stability, while simultaneously diverting public attention away from structural grievances and redirecting it toward specific individuals.

Through this method, social anger is framed not as a response to real social suffering, but rather as the product of manipulation by a handful of supposedly “deceitful” actors. This narrative also serves to justify state repression without the need to materially prove criminal wrongdoing; once a “leader” has been identified, an entire movement can be dismissed as illegitimate or “inauthentic.” Such patterns closely parallel authoritarian political practices.

Recent developments further illustrate this tendency. The Jakarta Metropolitan Police recently formed an anti-robbery task force to address rising street crime, accompanied by public calls in several regions for robbers to be shot on sight. Shortly thereafter, the Indonesian military (TNI) announced plans to deploy personnel to assist in combating street crime, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to legitimize the expansion of the military’s role into civilian law enforcement.

These two narratives have since been amplified on social media by both the police and the military, each seemingly seizing the moment to reassert themselves as central actors in national security through displays of readiness and force. The situation has also provided an opportunity for both institutions to recover public legitimacy amid ongoing criticism surrounding their involvement in corn plantation projects, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, and the security management of National Strategic Projects.

The connection between these two phenomena exposes how the state constructs and manages narratives of “security threats.” In the case of RR alias Mpe, the threat is personified through the figure of the “mastermind,” “leader,” or “terrorist” accused of mobilizing political unrest. In the case of street crime, the threat is produced through discourse surrounding a supposed “crime emergency” that demands swift and harsh measures. Although the objects differ, both operate according to the same logic: manufacturing fear in public space so that the expansion of state authority appears both natural and necessary.

In other words, the figures of the “riot mastermind” and the “street criminal” function politically as instruments for rebuilding the image of security institutions, legitimizing repressive measures, and expanding their role within civilian life in the name of public security.

At a time when such patterns continue to recur and directly contribute to criminalization and the erosion of civil liberties, the political position that cannot be avoided is one of siding with those who become victims of these practices.

Solidarity and unconditional support for all anarchist detainees

Ps: we are now collecting fund for Mpe lawyers. If you can help contact us to the email below:

Contact: palanghitam [ no scums ] riseup [ fuck cops ] net

source