So, like, there was this total chaos, right, during a labor protest commemorating International Workers’ Day or May Day in front of the Governor’s Office and the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) of Central Java (Jateng), Semarang, on Thursday (5/1/2025). The police pointed fingers at an anarchist group as the ones who sparked the unrest. Before the riot broke out, there were two groups of protesters demonstrating, one in front of the Governor’s Office of Central Java and the other in front of the DPRD building of Central Java. The riot vibes started to show when hundreds of people dressed in black demonstrating in front of the Governor’s Office of Central Java began throwing various objects like rocks, wood, and bottles of mineral water towards the officers. Prior to that, they, who had gathered since around 3:15 PM, had already set tires on fire.
At that time, hundreds of people from various labor organizations such as KASBI, KSPIP, FSPMI, and KSPN were protesting in front of the DPRD building of Central Java. Because their position was adjacent to the group dressed in black, the authorities evacuated the laborers to the yard of the DPRD building of Central Java. The riot then shifted to the front of the DPRD building of Central Java. In addition to throwing various objects, the group dressed in black also tore down and damaged the fences. Dozens of officers dressed in anti-riot gear and water cannon trucks were on standby in the yard of the DPRD building of Central Java.
Since the group kept throwing things, the police finally fired tear gas towards the group dressed in black at 5:25 PM. Tear gas was fired several times. The group in black then scattered and ran towards the Fountain Monument located on Pahlaman Street. Some members of the group in black even lit firecrackers and directed them towards the officers. The officers even retaliated by firing tear gas several times.
The line of officers in anti-riot gear then continued to move towards the group in black. The group decided to retreat towards the Postgraduate Campus of Diponegoro University (Undip) located on Imam Bardjo SH Street. After the group retreated to the Undip Campus, the police officers in anti-riot gear and water cannon trucks were on standby around the Fountain Monument. During the riot, traffic on both sections of Pahlawan Street was closed.
Since the group in black did not continue their actions, the situation gradually became conducive. At 5:50 PM, the Central Java Police Chief, Inspector General Pol Ribut Hari Wibowo, accompanied by the Central Java Deputy Police Chief, Brigadier General Pol Latif Usman, briefly monitored the situation on Pahlawan Street, precisely in front of the DPRD building of Central Java and the Governor’s Office of Central Java.
The Head of Public Relations of the Central Java Police, Commissioner Pol Artanto, accused the group dressed in black as an anarchist group. “They set fires, threw things at the officers. That’s why we dispersed that group by pushing them in accordance with the existing SOP in the police,” said Artanto when interviewed on the scene. “Thankfully, the dispersal went well, and we successfully disbanded the activities or actions of those anarchists,” Artanto added.
According to Artanto, the police arrested several people who were part of the group dressed in black. “Some people from that anarchist group were arrested because they were provocateurs,” he said. However, Artanto refused to disclose how many people were arrested. Artanto said that detailed information regarding the arrests would be provided by the Semarang City Police Chief.
