Hundreds of women wearing pink and wielding broomsticks marched to parliament in Indonesia's capital on Wednesday to protest against police abuses and wasteful government spending.
Protests in Jakarta and other key cities have stretched into their second week, fueled by anger over cost of living issues and lavish perks for MPs.
They turned violent after young motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan was killed when he was run over by a police vehicle.
As protests intensified, President Prabowo Subianto said he would cancel a trip to Beijing to attend China's massive military parade, but he was seen posing for a group photo on Wednesday, alongside Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Before his China trip, Prabowo said over the weekend that he would roll back perks for lawmakers - one of the core complaints of the protesters.
During Wednesday's rally, pink-clad female protesters from the Indonesian Women's Alliance (IWA) said the broomsticks symbolised their desire to sweep away the dirt of the state, militarism and police repression. The protesters also waved signs with the words reform the police.
Protests are not crimes, but rather democratic rights inherent in every citizen, one of the protesters, Mutiara Ika, told BBC Indonesia.
The IWA is a political group comprised of 90 women's organisations and movements, as well as various civil society groups including labor unions, human rights organisations and indigenous communities.
With a historical legacy of resistance against oppressive regimes, the women's movement in Indonesia remains a powerful force in the fight for democracy and governance reform. Similar to previous protests, the current demonstrations have seen participants unify under the banners of justice, accountability, and systemic change amidst ongoing struggles against police violence and governmental negligence.
Online, people are calling the colours used in the protests hero green and brave pink, with many customizing their social media profile pictures to show support for the movement.
The United Nations' human rights office has called for prompt, thorough, and transparent investigations on allegations of human rights violations in Jakarta's handling of the protests, underlining the growing international concern regarding the treatment of protesters.
As these protests unfold, the voices of women, laborers, and marginalized communities continue to reshape the narrative of Indonesia's political landscape, advocating for a future grounded in equality and justice for all citizens.
