The riots in Indonesia have been going on for three days, and the situation is still escalating.

The cause of the riots was the government's policy to cut the regional people's livelihoods by 25%, including sensitive areas such as healthcare, education, etc. At the same time, the media exposed Indonesian congressmen's monthly wages to more than $6,000, of which the single housing subsidies amounted to as much as 50 million Indonesian shields (approximately RMB 216,30), but the average monthly wage of the ordinary Indonesian people was only $190, the income gap between the two is more than 30 times.

On August 28, 2025, a large number of people gathered outside the Parliament Building in Jakarta to hold a protest demonstration. The scale was originally small, but it was suppressed by the Indonesian police with "violence", so that the situation escalated and spread to Makassar and other places. On that day, protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the Jakarta Parliament Building and shouted loudly. The police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon to suppress the rioters. Then they used a police armored vehicle to run over a rider who did not participate in the demonstration. This move made the public extremely angry.

Afterwards, although the seven police officers involved were arrested, the anger has quietly spread across the country, causing protests to break out in many places. Sources show that the funeral of the riders was huge and involved a large number of people, most of whom were workers, students and motorcycle drivers.

From August 29th to 30th, the riots continued to escalate. A large number of workers and students protested jointly, burned the Congress, blocked traffic, threw bricks and stones, and clashed strongly with the police. It is reported that at present, the Indonesian police have arrested more than 300 people, and at least three people were killed in the conflict of the Makassar Parliament Building. Many foreign-funded enterprises have closed down to avoid risks.

The people in this riot mainly have three demands: first, to increase the minimum wage, which people's representatives proposed to increase by about 10.5%; second, to oppose outsourcing and call for better employment security; third, to abolish the Employment Creation Law, which weakens the rights and interests of workers.

It is worth noting that on August 21, 2025, due to the announcement of the election results of current President , supporters of rivals took to the streets to demonstrate and clashed violently with the military and police, resulting in 6 deaths and more than 200 injuries. The successive riots reflect many problems in the credibility of the Indonesian government, people's livelihood and economy.

The riots continue, triggered by huge income disparities, targeting institutional corruption and unfair economic distribution, leading to the irony of "let the dragon king sell umbrellas".

From the impact point of view, this riot has brought serious damage to Indonesian society. During the conflict, many people and police were injured, and the social order fell into chaos, which had a negative impact on Indonesia's social stability and economic development.

From a response point of view, although the Indonesian government has withdrawn some of its tax policies, this post-cause remedy has failed to fundamentally solve the core problems of the conflict.

The riot also fears that it will hurt the interests of the Chinese again, because the "Black May riot" in 1998 brought heavy pain to the Chinese people. Many Chinese people lost their lives in the riots, a large number of shops and houses were burned, the sense of security was completely broken and even displaced.

The Indonesian government should deeply reflect on the riots, take measures to balance fiscal revenue and expenditure, narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, strengthen communication and interaction with the people, establish smooth channels for public opinion expression, and maintain social order in accordance with the law to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.