Violence has escalated into a second night of raging riots in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, as a result of political tension over disputed election results.
Thousands of rioters gathered at Indonesia’s election supervisory agency (Bawaslu) headquarters on Wednesday (22 May), protesting against the alleged election fraud in the recent presidential election.
The rioters are supporters of losing presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, who rejected the “fraudulent” election results.
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was declared the winner of the 2019 presidential election by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Tuesday (21 May) after winning the re-election with 55.5% of the vote, in a poll that is widely deemed as fair.
After the first night of conflict in the capital, it was reported that six people were killed and more than 200 sustained injuries.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan called on the protesters to maintain public order and safety to prevent more deaths and injuries.
“Please protest in a peaceful and orderly manner. I also urge law enforcement personnel to practice restraint to avoid any unwanted conflicts with the protesters,” he said.
However, the second night of conflict did not seem to exhibit any sign of a peace and orderly protest, as live footage posted on social media from yesterday’s riot showed fierce clashes between rioters and the police.
Multiple footage captured the protesters hurling rocks, firecrackers, and even Molotov cocktails at the police, who later responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons.
The angry mobs were also caught on camera setting fire to the election headquarters building, cars, and motorcycles on the street.
Watch the video compilation here:
Meanwhile, some social media sites have been blocked by the Indonesian authorities in an attempt to prevent the spread of fake news as well as to stunt the use of the platforms by the rioters.
