On September 3, 2025, about 300 women marched to parliament demanding an end to state violence in Indonesia (Al Jazeera). Wearing neon pink clothing dubbed “brave pink” and carrying broomsticks, the women represented the Indonesian Women’s Alliance (IWA), or Aliansi Perempuan Indonesia (API). The IWA, which unites more than 90 women’s organizations, labor unions, rights groups, and indigenous communities, has taken a leading role in the protests following the death of motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan (BBC).
On August 28, Kurniawan was fatally crushed by a police vehicle while on his way to pick up a passenger (Independent). His death came amid growing anger over President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to provide parliamentarians an additional 50 million rupiah (about $3,030 USD) in housing allowances (Guardian). The proposal, nearly 10 times Indonesia’s minimum wage, was to be funded through budget cuts. Meanwhile, the job market has suffered: with over 20,000 layoffs each month, youth unemployment at 16%, and more than half of workers lacking social protections such as medical or retirement coverage (Chinaworker).
Economic frustrations had already driven thousands into the streets earlier in 2025, but September’s protests mark a new stage. Dubbed “Black September” by the IWA, the movement draws attention to what activists call another “dark chapter” in Indonesian history, defined by state violence (Suara Keadilan). It escalates the earlier “Dark Indonesia” protests of February 2025, largely student-driven actions against corruption, unemployment, and crackdowns on dissent. Police responses escalated violently with rubber bullets and tear gas used against unarmed students in Jakarta and Yogyakarta (Human Rights Watch).
President Subianto’s record has fueled concerns. A former general, he has long faced accusations of human rights abuses, including the abduction of pro-democracy activists in the 1990s (Amnesty International). Though never prosecuted, he was dismissed from military service after internal investigations. His eventual rise to the presidency has revived fears of impunity and a slide back toward authoritarianism.
Civil society leaders argue that today’s repression mirrors patterns from the past. Where the Dark Indonesia protests reflected youth frustrations, Black September unites students, workers, women’s groups, and indigenous communities in resisting both economic injustice and systemic violence (Fulcrum). The IWA has emerged as a central organizer, maintaining momentum despite violent crackdowns (Al Jazeera).
The IWA’s demands are clear: Prabowo must end state violence, parliament must stop misusing public funds, justice must be delivered to victims, and authorities must end the criminalization of peaceful protest (Parapuan).
Beyond its objectives, the IWA’s symbolism has stood out. The “brave pink” imagery originated from a viral video of Ibu Ana, a mother in a pink hijab, standing before police to denounce the housing allowances (Parapuan). Her defiance, framed in maternal terms, struck a chord across the movement. The broomsticks wielded by marchers symbolize the IWA’s pledge to “sweep away the dirt of the state, militarism and police repression” (BBC).
Al Jazeera – https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/3/womens-groups-gather-in-front-of-parliament-in-indonesia-amid-protests
Amnesty International – https://www.amnestyusa.org/blog/in-indonesia-prabowos-dark-past-casts-a-pall-over-his-presidency/
BBC – https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vlv2gpvvzo
Chinaworker – https://chinaworker.info/en/2025/09/09/47826/
Fulcrum- https://fulcrum.sg/shaping-indonesias-democracy-youth-alight-amidst-darkindonesia/
Human Rights Watch – https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/02/indonesia-authorities-should-use-restraint-during-protests
The Independent – https://www.the-independent.com/asia/southeast-asia/indonesia-protests-affan-kurniawan-death-video-b2819776.html