The protest of the Indonesian people against the anti-people policies of the incumbent Prabowo regime in Indonesia is intensifying. The Indonesian people’s outrage further flared up after a police vehicle ran over delivery rider Affan Kurniawan on August 28. From the capital in Jakarta, the protests expanded to the cities of Bandung, Surabaya, Malang, Solo, Yogyakarta, Medan, and Makassar.

In a statement, the People’s Struggle Front (Front Perjuangan Rakyat or FPR), a coalition of Indonesian workers, students, and activists, expressed solidaroity with the protests. It condemned the regime for imposing high taxes, its incompetence in lowering the rising prices of basic necessities, as well as the increased costs in education and health, which it said have further worsened the people’s poverty. The FPR condemned the regime for squandering public funds in the form of salary increases for lawmakers, the judiciary, and security forces, while ignoring the suffering of the people.

The group condemned president Prabowo Subianto for ordering the police to use excessive force to suppress the protests. The latest National Human Rights Commission reports recorded up to 951 arrested protesters in Jakarta alone. It also ridiculed Prabowo’s publicized visit to Kurniawan’s wake, calling it “hollow” and far from what the people are demanding—justice and reform.

“President Prabowo’s fascist character is also becoming increasingly pronounced,” the FPR said. The group already anticipated the suppression of the right to express since the mass movement for genuine agrarian reform gained ground in recent months.

“However, this difficult economic situation and the harshness of political oppression have provided valuable experiences and lessons for the people to determine their future, independent of anyone else,” the group said. “These lessons and experiences from the struggle will provide the national democratic movement with the opportunity to win its campaign in both rural and urban areas.”

The FPR calls on the Indonesian people to further intensify the coordinated struggle against the regime’s exploitative policies and demand accountability for the victims of state violence.

The FPR is composed of the Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA), Gabungan Serikat Buruh Indonesia (GSBI), Pemuda Baru Indonesia (PEMBARU), Serikat Perempuan Indonesia (SERUNI), Front Mahasiswa Nasional (FMN), Keluarga Besar Buruh Migran Indonesia (KABAR BUMI), and Institute for National and Democracy Studies (INDIES).