Chaos in the Archipelago of Fire Part 1

This zine was adapted from the French, CHAOS DANS L’ARCHIPEL DE FEU: Sur l’insurrection d’août 2025 en Indonésie et sa répression, (Infokiosques, 2026). Only a few articles were translated from the French, the majority were accessed in English from Dark Nights. A few minor edits for readability were made.

Since this zine was compiled in July 2026, the list of prisoners may be outdated, check in with counter-info resources for updated information.

Other texts on anarchism in Indonesia:

Introduction

In August and September 2025, an insurrection struck the Indonesian archipelago, engulfing in its flames many police stations, cop cars, both national and local government buildings, parliament members’ homes, businesses, and more. This revolt notably involved many anarchists, insurrectionary and direct action-oriented tendencies being particularly common.

To avenge itself, the Indonesian State launched a grand hunt for anarchists all throughout the country, after which several dozen anarchist comrades have been arrested and imprisoned. Two cases in particular have been at the center of attention: that of 16 anarchists suspected of Molotov cocktail attacks in Jakarta, and that against 44 anarchists suspected of direct actions and attempts at insurrection in an organization created by the State from scratch, called “Chaos Star,” in reference to the strong anarcho-nihilist tendency in the country.

This zine compiles many texts published online about the situation of anarchist prisoners in recent months in order to give them all our solidarity wherever we are. Spread information, write them letters, organize financial solidarity.

Fire to the Prisons!

Death to the State!

Long Live Anarchy!

Part 1: Context on the Insurrection

Archipelago of Fire: The 2025 Uprising in Indonesia

Updates from Indonesia: August 25 & Onwards…

August 29, 2025

An uprising of angry youth, triggered by rising taxes for the general public and a repressive military. There’s no organization, the insurrection is spearheaded by young anarchists, nihilists, and the uncontrollables. Many young anarchists from high school groups are arrested. The high schoolers carry the energy. Around 400 students were arrested on August 25 according to reports. Most of the action is coordinated live on social media. Usually, some liberal union or opposition party controls the narrative, but not this time. Even mainstream media acknowledges that social media is the main source of information. Politicians cannot control the narrative any longer. It’s been a tradition for decades that student bodies are normally the stewards for these kind of demos, but each year these mediators get ousted—by the students themselves. That’s why NGOs, unions, “civil anarchists,” and student associations on the left and the right hate the anti-organizational factions.

Fuck them all. We incite the youngsters to act for themselves. Individuals are no longer afraid of ideological duty, norms, and all those external values…

Last night, August 28, police shot and killed a demonstrator [Affan Kurniawan, a 21 year old motorcycle taxi driver, was struck and killed by an armored police vehicle in Jakarta, ed.]. Nationwide riots against the tax continue to escalate. In several cities, riots are organic and self-organized. The public image of the police continues to crumble, as the people supports the rioters. Anarchist cells coordinate other actions, and most of the nihilist-insurrectionary calls to action dominate the narrative. Anonymous social media accounts on Instagram with thousands of followers call for an anti-political insurgency. Everyday, they make calls to action and give good explanations for why.

The union mediators announce that they’ll be in the streets and “there will be no riot,” but the youngsters and rioters mock them right away on social media. We give it up to the youngsters. We can only incite them to be more uncontrollable. At night, the internet goes down. While “civil anarchists” call for a people’s council, we call for fuck everything. We never really organize people, only provide a coordination of networks and technical info about street action.

Friday, August 29. Basically, anarchists control the narrative. People respond to the nationwide call to attack police stations and the police themselves. They attack the government, and the mass media loses control over information and news. Our network continues to call for revenge after the police murder last night, and shit’s getting hot. Anarchist cells are in the streets.

You can see the uprising on various news sites, though all the good videos are only on social media.

From the Archipelago of Fire.

Jakarta Under Siege

August 25, 2025

Jakarta no longer belongs to the rotten elites. Thousands of people from every corner of the land storm the capital. This is not just a protest—it’s a collective eruption of rage against rising housing taxes, endless corruption, and the military-police dogs of the state.

From dawn til’ midnight, the streets turn into a battlefield of defiance. Screams, fire, and stones become the people’s language of fury.

This is not some puppet show led by the elites. This is raw, untamed, leaderless anger, impossible to control.

Brief Statement on the Insurrection in Indonesia and Subsequent Repression

August 12, 2025

The following statement by Palang Hitam / Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) Indonesia was broadcast live on air Monday, December 9, between 11am-1pm CET on Radio Blackout. The name of the show is “Bello come una prigione che brucia” (Beautiful as a Burning Prison), a show broadcast for 20 years against prisons, repression, surveillance, military tech, and AI. Radio Blackout is an autonomous radio (FM in Turin, Italy, and streaming elsewhere) born in 1992 as common project self-managed by local squats, social centers, and various collectives and individuals (anti-fascists, anti-authoritarians, anticapitalists, anti-lots of things, with comrades from different currents of anarchism and communism).

From August to early September 2025, Indonesia was struck by demonstrations and riots triggered by public anger over government policies that were considered detrimental to the people. The main triggers of these protests were drastic increases in the cost of living, including food prices and education costs, as well as mass layoffs that affected many workers. In addition, increases in land and building taxes imposed by local governments as a result of funding cuts from the federal government further exacerbated the situation. Public frustration peaked when there were proposals to increase the allowances and salaries of members of the House of Representatives (DPR), which seemed to ignore the suffering of the people.

Initially, public anger was only expressed on social media with calls to dissolve the House of Representatives. However, the response from members of the House of Representatives, especially Ahmad Sahroni, who called critics “the dumbest people in the world,” only worsened the situation. On August 25, anger erupted in the form of a massive demonstration in front of the House of Representatives office, which ended in chaos with clashes between demonstrators and the police.

This first demonstration was attended by various elements of society, such as online motorcycle taxi drivers, vocational school students, and members of the general public who were not affiliated with any particular organization. Although the posters they made were ridiculed by some pro-democracy activists for being poorly designed and therefore likely to have been “made by intelligence agents,” the protests continued. Their demands focused on the elimination of allowances for members of the House of Representatives, which were considered too wasteful, the passing of the Asset Seizure Bill, and the rejection of a number of other controversial bills.

On August 26, demonstrations continued despite a decline in the number of participants. Many students began to hold open discussions, showing that the issue of the House of Representatives was gaining public attention. However, riots broke out again on August 28, when labor demonstrations in various major cities demanded an increase in the minimum wage, the abolition of the job outsourcing system, and changes to the Labor Act. In Jakarta, labor protests in front of the House of Representatives building and the State Palace ended in riots, which escalated after an online motorcycle taxi driver named Affan Kurniawan was killed after he was hit by an armored police vehicle in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta. This incident was captured on video and went viral, sparking further outrage.

Since early August 29, online motorcycle taxi drivers have gathered at the Kwitang Mobile Brigade Headquarters, demanding justice for Affan’s death and holding the police accountable for the violence against demonstrators. The crowd grew, including students, and the demonstration shifted to police stations and government buildings. However, despite negotiations, the crowd was dissatisfied with the results, and riots broke out again, causing public transportation to come to a standstill and several police stations to close.

The riots spread to various major cities outside Jakarta. There were 34 other flashpoints outside Jakarta where public facilities, police stations, and local council buildings were set on fire by the crowds. On August 30, tensions escalated after it was revealed that several members of the House of Representatives, including Ahmad Sahroni, had travelled abroad. This news further fueled public anger, which led to the storming of the homes of Sahroni and several other members of the House of Representatives, as well as government officials such as Finance Minister Sri Mulyani. Their homes were looted by a crowd that could no longer contain their anger.

That night, the power went out around the Mobile Brigade Headquarters, and police forces deployed to control the riots used tear gas and gunfire to disperse the crowd. The armed forces and police conducted sweeps in various areas to crack down on the rioters. This crackdown continued in the following days, causing tensions to rise throughout Indonesia. The Indonesian government targeted the demonstrators with accusations ranging from terrorism to treason. Instead of meeting the demands of the demonstrations, the Indonesian government responded with continued repression and a retreat from democratization.

This popular uprising was essentially driven by ordinary people, particularly high school students, the unemployed, and the online motorcycle taxi community—forces that had been underestimated and considered “politically unaware” by middle-class activists and most leftists. These rebels are not people who act based on their reading of Marxist or anarchist books. They are in the streets because the information circulating on social media has provoked their anger; anger that is then moderated by the middle class who shout, “Don’t destroy public facilities,” “Don’t be anarchists,” “Don’t be provoked,” and who finally make a series of long-winded demands called “17+8” on September 1, just to extinguish the fires and anger (today, these demands have still not been realized). It is true that the crowds still lack practical intelligence. But of course that is not their fault. Since they are the people who have always been sacrificed by the state and even by the opposition elites who claim to be “revolutionaries”—they have grown up with the understanding that anger must find an outlet.

Then, when the fires stopped burning everywhere, when the rulers and political elites apologized in public, no one could say for sure how it all began. There had been a lot of consolidation, discussion, cross-ideological networking, political campaigns, etc., but what happened in August 2025 was a festival of insurrection that no one could have predicted. Even when the demonstrations first began, until the death of Affan Kurniawan as the boiling point of public anger, these demonstrations were still seen as “staged demonstrations” for the benefit of those in power, which, ironically, were promoted massively by most middle-class pro-democracy activists and their followers.

Now, after the riots, the police have arrested many people, including anarchist egoists/nihilists, but most of them are victims of wrongful arrest who did not even participate in the demonstrations. They are accused of being masterminds, provocateurs, intellectual agents, and are labeled as the “Chaos Star” group. Meanwhile, members of DPR such as Ahmad Sahroni, who sparked public outrage, remain in office and have not been dismissed. Recently, the DPR passed a revision to the Criminal Procedure Code that allows police officers to arrest people without evidence and to secretly wiretap, record, and tamper with digital devices.

Palang Hitam / ABC

Call to Arms: Insurrectionary Solidarity with Indonesia

September 3, 2025

Since August 25, the flames of rebellion have scorched the oppressive forces in Indonesia, igniting a fierce uprising against a regime that thrives on violence and subjugation. This is no fleeting moment; it is the throbbing heartbeat of resistance from those long denied their rights. The loss of ten lives in this struggle only deepens our resolve to confront the state and its henchmen.

As the government unleashes military brutality, kidnaps activists, and engages in sinister cyber warfare, we are reminded: “Insurrection is the most logical weapon of the masses.” It is time to act—our fury must unite as a force beyond borders!

Comrades across the globe, rise up! Attack Indonesian interests wherever they are found. Disrupt the machinery of oppression with every act of defiance. Join the clash, amplify the voices of the oppressed, and make it clear: our resistance knows no bounds.

Together, we can dismantle techno-industrial civilization!

Federasi Informal Anarkis/ Informal Anarchist Federation

ABC Indonesia: International Call for Solidarity with the Arrested, Disappeared, and Killed in the Ongoing Uprising

September 3, 2025

Palang Hitam / ABC Indonesia asks if possible for the organization of solidarity demonstrations / actions at Indonesian embassies in foreign countries. We are asking international comrades for support.

The mass uprising in Indonesia is facing severe repression. Dozens of people are confirmed missing, at least 6 people have been killed. Many are injured. Thousands of people have been arrested. Police have been attacking the universities. Police and army check-points have been set up everywhere. Many people are being arrested for live streaming and counter-info blogs, and social media accounts are being tracked and comrades arrested. NGOs, liberal/left unions and student union stewards are assisting the repression.

Solidarity is our weapon

Palang Hitam / ABC

European and International Corporate Targets

November 11, 2025

Several multi-national companies operate and invest in Indonesia, such as Shell, BP, Unilever, Rolls Royce and GlaxoSmithKline, which have a large presence. The largest multinational bank operating in Indonesia is HSBC, which is a suitable target for coordinated action since it has branches and offices across the globe. We propose that, where appropriate, individuals in each territory and region research which companies are operating in Indonesia, circulate and make that information known, and take direct action in solidarity with the prisoners of the anti-authoritarian mass uprising.

Against torture — For social war.

Part 2: Updates on Repression, September — December 2025

Java: Comrade Arrested & Accused of Running Anarchist Counter-Info Site

September 10, 2025

A comrade in Java was arrested a few days ago, accused of administrating “Black Bloc Zone,” an Indonesian focused anarchist website. The comrade is still being detained. The media scum have been up to their old tricks of denigrating our comrades’ name. Fire to the prisons! Free the comrade!

Repressive Raids Continue Throughout the Archipelago

Extensive raids in Java, Jakarta, Bandung, and Makassar. There are still clashes and conflicts taking place across the archipelago. Media scum parade the hostages on television as they try to regain the narrative but it just fuels the hatred and rebellion by the population.

Updates on Repression

September 14, 2025

In short, 5,444 people have been reported arrested from the uprising nationally. 583 are involved in further investigations. That is the recent report from a legal aid institution. On September 3, the same leftist legal organization released info that 3,337 people had been arrested, so we can see that the repression is gaining momentum. Hundreds of anarchists have been reported arrested.

The Indonesian anti-terrorist unit ‘Densus 88’, basically a death squad, have been activated by the government. ‘Densus 88’ are now hunting the insurrectionary anarchist, nihilist, and egoist circles, and they focus on the arrested. They will try to charge the comrades already arrested and those still wanted with terrorism, which will be hard to prove in court, but the repression could be bloody, so we ask for international attention and revolutionary solidarity. The anti-terrorist unit is officially hunting the same circle in Makassar. This is the way that the Indonesian state tries to spread a paranoid climate, which ultimately has not really been that successful.

Call for Solidarity with the Hunter Strike of 16 Political Prisoners in Jakarta

September 18, 2025

16 prisoners held at the Jakarta metropolitan police station (Polda Metro Jaya) in connection with the revolt from August 25 to September 3, 2025 launched a hunger strike on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

The strike was launched by Syahdan Husein, administrator of the Instagram account Gejayan Memanggil, who has been on hunger strike since September 11 in the Jakarta metropolitan police station. His protest was against the detention of all prisoners. He announced that he would continue the hunger strike until all political prisoners are released. From the hunger strikers:

We [the 16 prisoners signing this letter] have launched a hunger strike on September 16, 2025. We are all held in the Jakarta metropolitan police station.

We want our freedom! We are fighting for democracy!

In response to this hunger strike, we are calling for support and solidarity from all of the anti-authoritarian movement to participate in the campaign for the freedom of the 16 political prisoners in Jakarta, the 42 in Bandung, as well as in Samarinda, Pontianak, Makassar, and other cities after the “Disband DPR” demonstrations between August 25 and September 3. There are hundreds of other prisoners in cities who are reviving less attention. Support them! No one is free until all are free!

Serikat Tahanan

Repression in Indonesia

September 18, 2025

After the mass action that took place at the end of August and early September, a wave of mass arrests followed, with thousands of people being detained across various cities in Indonesia—both post-action arrests and sweeps from those already arrested. Even now, various anti-authoritarian groups in Indonesia are experiencing widespread paranoia, which is understandable for some people due to the state’s cyber operations aimed at mapping both formal and informal anti-authoritarian cells. Several collective and individual names have already been collected, which only adds to the paranoid climate that continues to persist. Some refer to this as “going underground,” or even as an individual safety method, to later continue efforts for solidarity with comrades who have been designated as suspects. The state has labeled anarchists as the masterminds behind all the mass actions that took place in various cities. For example, in Bandung, the authorities have designated 42 protesters as suspects, and in Jakarta, 16 people have been labeled as suspects. This doesn’t even account for other cities that have not yet been verified. All those who are detained face obstacles in accessing legal assistance, and torture is not spared during interrogation and examination.

In a press conference held by the authorities some time ago, they stated that there is a connection between anarchists in Indonesia and international anarchist networks. They also raised concerns about the flow of funds traced from digital wallets as money for chaos, even reporting amounts up to tens or even hundreds of millions of rupiahs — a figure that seems quite unreasonable. They have also used various books, zines, and pamphlets as evidence of anarchist actions. All of this has been criminalized under a new form of anti-terrorism in Indonesia. However, logically speaking, the state is openly the true terrorist to the oppressed people of Indonesia, through land grabs, low wages, unequal education, media suppression, killings of activists, and so on. These criminalization efforts are also efforts to scapegoat alternative methods for sustaining life without the grip of the state and its apparatuses.

Today, in Indonesia, we have entered a new phase—after the ghosts of communism and the Jakarta method—in hunting anarchists, or any movements that are seen as disturbing the stability and interests of the state. Everyone is an individual with the potential to be criminalized by the state. Therefore, to anyone reading this, continue to raise solidarity for the political prisoners of August-September so they know they are not alone. Long live resistance, long live anarchy!

XIII-XII

Important Information from Indonesia for International Comrades

After some time, following the large-scale demonstrations across various parts of the archipelago, the lack of information from our comrades who have been arrested for their actions has been a difficult challenge for us.

Firstly, the lack of communication from our comrades who have been arrested and charged stems from communication restrictions imposed by the pigs. They were even denied legal assistance and communication with their families for approximately two weeks. This was confirmed as part of the effort to investigate the motives behind the charges.

Then, suddenly, the pigs held a press conference and invited various local media outlets to cover everything, even releasing the names of those who had been charged to the public.

In the information released, particularly regarding those arrested by the West Java Police Headquarters, our comrades are being processed by two divisions: general crime (26 people) and cybercrime (16 people). These pigs have identified anarchist-egoist-nihilist subjects as a new source of threat in Indonesia, especially due to their alleged connection to international networks.

For everyone’s safety, if anyone has had, or is still in correspondence with Black Bloc Zone or Contemplative Publishing, we recommend stopping this immediately, as these two names have been identified as key actors by the pigs. It is highly likely that their websites, Instagram accounts, or even their Signal accounts are still under investigation.

Stay safe and don’t be deceived!

For the Black International!

Chronology of the New Wave of Arrests (“The Hunt for the Egoists”)

1. Trigger Event — The group round Comrade Acil (Itenas / University of Bandung, West Java). Acil was arrested after posting on social media about an Indonesian flag burning.

2. First Link — From Acil’s case, police traced and arrested 8 people from the Kiara Condong area where they had uploaded content showing them making and throwing Molotovs.

3. Expanding the Network — Adit (UIN / University of Bandung) and Opal (Cijerah / Ciparay area) were also arrested. It’s unclear if they were directly linked to Acil, but their arrest opened a new line of investigation.

4. Start of the Manhunt — Through Instagram communications between Adit and Opal, police began mapping further connections.

5. Initial Mapping — Authorities identified links between Egoist accounts, funding sources, and physical evidence (Molotovs, etc). From this chain, Pem (who lives in Ciamis, West Java) was arrested.

6. Next Wave — Arrests continued with Katong Press (Komar, East Java), followed by Dana and Herdi (Palang Hitam / ABC), and Abu from Makassar. Katong Press is the name of an anarchist collective.

7. Shift in Legal Framing — Investigators begin applying the Anti-Terrorism Law, citing: suspected foreign funding, acts of arson, confessions from detainees admitting to destruction during protests.

8. Information Leak — From Dana’s case, additional leads emerged, targeting networks in Bogor and Tangerang (West Java).

Preliminary Notes for Mitigating the Scope of Repression:

So far, only the “Egoist wave” is clearly mapped, but further arrest waves remain uncertain. The ages of those arrested are predominantly teenagers and those in their 20’s so far. It is impossible for our group to count all the anarchists arrested. There’s no one big organization, just loose cells and individuals. But those universities mentioned are sanctuaries for many anarchists. These universities were attacked and raided by police during the clashes. At the moment, there are many anarchists concentrated in the central police station in Bandung.

16 Comrades Arrested for Molotov Attacks

According to corporate media dated September 15, 2025, 16 people were arrested almost simultaneously in various places around Jakarta and accused of Molotov attacks. The scale of the operation and the evidence gathered (CCTV footage, phone conversations, looted items, etc) are very serious.

Update on Political Prisoners from the Mass Action of August 25–30, 2025

Java

— Banten Police (Polda Banten)
Total Arrests: 15 People

— Metro Jaya Police (Jakarta)
Total Arrests: 1,240 People
Total Suspects: 43 People

— West Java Police (Polda Jawa Barat)
Total Arrests: 147 People
Total Suspects: 42 People

— Yogyakarta Police (Polda DIY)
Total Arrests: 60 People

— Central Java Police (Polda Jawa Tengah)
Total Arrests: 1,240 People
Total Suspects: 118 People

— East Java Police (Polda Jawa Timur)
Total Arrests: 709 People
Total Suspects: 51 People

Note: 56 of the 118 arrested by Central Java Police are minors.

Bali

— Bali Police (Polda Bali)
Total Arrests: 138 People
Total Suspects: 14 People

Sulawesi

— West Celebes Police (Polda Sulawesi Barat)
Total Arrests: 6 People

— South Celebes Police (Polda Sulawesi Selatan)
Total Arrests: 53 People

— Central Celebes Police (Polda Sulawesi Tengah)
Total Arrests: 1 Person

Sumatra
— North Sumatera Police (Polda Sumatera Utara)
Total Arrests: 50 People
— South Sumatra Police (Polda Sumatera Selatan)
Total Arrests: 25 People

FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS FROM THE AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2025 UPRISING!

NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE!

Latest News from the Wave of Repression in Indonesia

Following the initial repression of the protests in August–September 2025, the police have documented a total of 16 police reports and arrested individuals, both adults and minors, across 16 police regions in Indonesia.

Note: The total 959 people arrested or wanted represents the largest number civilians following the largest demonstrations since the 1998 tragedy [more than 1,000 people were killed by the state during riots and demonstrations against Suharto’s regime in May 1998], making this one of the largest repressive operations in Indonesia’s history.

Below is the breakdown of the reports and the number of suspects involved:

1. Polda Metro Jaya (Jakarta Metropolitan Police)
— Police Reports: 36
— Adult Suspects: 200
— Minor Suspects: 32

2. Polda Jambi (Jamba Police)
— Police Reports: 6
— Adult Suspects: 3

3. Polda Lampung (Lampung Police)
— Police Reports: 1
— Adult Suspects: 1
— Minor Suspects: 7

4. Polda Sumsel (South Sumatra Police)
— Police Reports: 12
— Adult Suspects: 23
— Minor Suspects: 3

5. Polda Banten (Banten Police)
— Police Reports: 1
— Adult Suspects: 2

6. Polda Jawa Barat (West Java Police)
— Police Reports: 30
— Adult Suspects: 80
— Minor Suspects: 31

7. Polda Jawa Tengah (Central Java Police)
— Police Reports: 40
— Adult Suspects: 80
— Minor Suspects: 56

8. Polda Jawa Timur (East Java Police)
— Police Reports: 85
— Adult Suspects: 185
— Minor Suspects: 140

9. Polda DIY (Yogyakarta Police)
— Police Reports: 9
— Adult Suspects: 4
— Minor Suspects: 1

10. Polda Bali (Bali Police)
— Police Reports: 4
— Adult Suspects: 10
— Minor Suspects: 4

11. Polda NTB (West Nusa Tenggara Police)
— Police Reports: 2
— Adult Suspects: 15
— Minor Suspects: 6

12. Polda Kalbar (West Kalimantan Police)
— Police Reports: 3
— Adult Suspects: 1
— Minor Suspects: 3

13. Polda Kaltim (East Kalimantan Police)
— Police Reports: 1
— Adult Suspects: 7

14. Polda Sulbar (West Sulawesi Police)
— Police Reports: 2
— Adult Suspects: 2

15. Polda Sulsel (South Sulawesi Police)
— Police Reports: 10
— Adult Suspects: 46
— Minor Suspects: 12

16. Bareskrim Polri (Criminal Investigation Agency, a central agency of the Indonesian National Police)
— Police Reports: 4
— Adult Suspects: 5

The data presented here is the latest available information gathered from various sources. As of now, authorities are continuing to arrest individuals they believe were involved in the protests that took place from late August to early September. This is a clear abuse of power, aimed not only at suppressing subsequent mass actions but also at spreading fear and paranoia throughout Indonesia. Several charges have been levied against the suspects, including Articles 160 and 161 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on incitement, Article 170 KUHP on mob violence, Article 187 KUHP on arson, and Articles 212 to 214 KUHP on resisting law enforcement. Other charges include Article 351 KUHP on assault, Articles 362–363 KUHP on theft, Article 406 KUHP on property damage, and Emergency Law No. 12 of 1951 regarding the possession of bladed weapons, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks. Additionally, some individuals have been charged under the ITE Law (Information and Electronic Transactions). This reflects the clear and varied attempts to criminalize those arrested. We will continue to report the news regarding political prisoners in Indonesia.

Anarchist Comrade Eat Kidnapped by the Police & Held Incommunicado

October 2, 2025

After the uprising in August 2025, the Indonesian state is weak and looking for scapegoats. On September 23, the bastards claimed another one and kidnapped comrade Eat. Eat is a well-known anarchist who had spent time in prison on several occasions, such as for armed robbery and an incendiary attacks against a bank. His ex-girlfriend, Anzi Matta, snitched on him, and that’s why he got caught, according to police. The cops seized his laptop and phone, so that will be part of building his case. The police bastards are holding him incommunicado, like the rest of the anarchists. Right now, he’s being held at the West Java Regional Police Station in Bandung. That’s where many comrades are held. We don’t know what official charges and accusations they will hit him with. We do know that he was publicly accused of being the leader of the anarchist “Chaos Star” network in Indonesia, in connection with the riots last August. We have not heard about such a leader of anarchists, let alone nihilists, before. Nor have we heard of any such formal network of “chaotics” before.

In many cases, the evidence used by the cops to legitimize the use of the anti-terrorist laws ranges from simple possession of a flag or zines, music, social media profile, not necessarily participation in the riots. At first sight, this seems like another absurd and fantastical concoction of the anti-terrorist unit, just like the lie that international funding of $500,000 was what created the revolt. This is part of how the Indonesian state is trying to change the narrative. Across the region our currents and tendencies are growing. Their future is finished, anarchism is the predominant narrative.

We know that according to the news circulating in Indonesia, after arresting 42 people accused of being part of egoist/insurrectionist cells, the police pursued Eat because he was also suspected of raising funds, working on prisoner solidarity and connections with international anarchists, that is, maintaining friendships across borders. The police are trying to weaken anarchists’ resolve by blaming snitches and creating anarcho-phantasms, but we know they are lying and using torture. What we know is that the police are spreading the news that the former partner of Eat, Anzi Matta, helped them with information that lead to the arrest of Eat in Makassar, and he was brought to the West Java Regional Police in Bandung on 23^rd September, where he remains.

Direct Action at Indonesian embassies, corporate

interests, and related businesses.

Freedom for the Prisoners — Death to the State.

Eat’s Case Partially Submitted in Court: Our Comrade Was Tortured

October 28, 2025

The West Java paramilitary police have submitted the first part of accused anarchist comrade Eat’s case to the court. The details are not reported yet, but it is known that the comrade is being made into a ‘leadership’ scapegoat for the fabricated “Chaos Star” frame-up and he is also accused of ‘leadership’ of the mass insurrection which happened in August 2025. Parts of the legal case are still being held back, because the Special Detachment for Anti-Terrorism (Densus 88) is handling the “Chaos Star” case, especially concerning Eat. There’s an effort to charge Eat under the terrorism law. This is also why the investigation period against Eat was extended until November 20, 2025. The Prabowo Subianto regime has reopened the old documents about the FAI-IRF attack in Yogyakarta in 2011 [in 2010, the Long Live Luciano Tortuga Cell of the Indonesian Informal Anarchist Federation — International Revolutionary Front attacked a BRI Bank]. What is certain is that Eat was tortured, like other detained comrades. We don’t have enough information to confirm the severity of his injuries. What we can confirm is that despite being tortured Eat did not give up anyone’s name. Eat is already paralyzed in one arm and also suffering from serious health conditions. The paramilitary police and the Densus anti-terrorist unit are cowards who beat and torture young people in handcuffs. All over the world we are rising up against police bastards, politicians, jailers, banks, and corporations!

We demand the freedom of Eat and all the other prisoners!

Torturer’s hands off the prisoners!

Fire to the prisons!

Palang Hitam / ABC

Urgent: Update on the 43+1 Comrades Imprisoned in the “Chaos Star” Case

October 25, 2025

After the mass revolts in August 2025, where a large section of the population rose up and attacked state corruption and inequality, 43 anarchist comrades are imprisoned at the West Java paramilitary police compound in Bandung. There is no access for anyone but the families, and even this is minimal. The prisoners have been cut off, and they are being used for a mainstream media manipulation campaign by the Indonesian state. Many of the imprisoned comrades are very young. They are all accused of being part of the individualist-nihilist “Chaos Star” network, which is a fabrication created by the police for the purpose of their prosecution. The police claim that the imprisoned comrades were radicalized by ‘leaders’ and funded by foreign anarchist organizations. The cops point to the existence of banners, flags, books, pamphlets, and music in the possession of the prisoners as commonly held items denoting membership in this “Chaos Star” organization.

Some of the comrades are accused of serious direct actions such as molotov attacks, arson, riot, property destruction, etc. Lastly, some of the comrades are accused of instigation, either online, for their blogs or social media accounts, or for their ‘prominent’ role. They are isolated in the paramilitary compound, and the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Bandung has been blocked from representing them. One option is to hire a private lawyer, but that would cost tens of millions of rupiah. We ask for heightened attention to this dangerous situation. Torture and abuse are being widely used on the detainees, confirmed by the families. The young comrades were injured and hurt until they gave false confessions that they were even at the demonstrations and/or part of specific organizations, as they were subjected to the brutality of the paramilitary police. This is a known fact and a reality that we have to confront. In the wake of the insurrection across Indonesia against the right-wing ex-military Prabowo Subianto regime, young people and the anarchist movement have been severely repressed by the regime. Many young people have been caught up in the police assaults and regardless of their supposed “guilt” or “innocence”, we extend our solidarity with them, and to all those who struggle against social oppression, prisons, police, and the state.

We are publishing the names of our imprisoned comrades and the prison address of the West Java paramilitary police compound where our friends are held. Let’s not leave these comrades alone and let’s send them solidarity letters, postcards, and our message of fire. Even if the solidarity mail is stolen and blocked by the administrators of abuse, they will know that we will hold them all responsible for what is taking place in Bandung.

Let’s shine a light on what the hated police torturers and the regime of Prabowo Subianto are doing to our young comrades, where it is taking place, and by whom, and let’s fight back against the police and all prisons everywhere.

Palang Hitam / ABC

Eight Anarchist Prisoners from the “Chaos Star” Case Transferred after Court

Eight anarchist detainees from the “Chaos Star” case have had their first court date on November 18, 2025. This means they have now been transferred to the prosecutor’s detention facility. They are accused of throwing stones at police officers, allegedly causing around 2 billion rupiahs in damages [around 100,000 USD] during the August 30, 2025 demonstration. All eight have been charged under multiple articles: Article 170 (public violence), Article 214 (collective resistance), and Article 406 (destruction of private property) of the Indonesian Criminal Code. They are: Muhamad Subhan (M.S), Eli Yana (E.Y), Muhamad Vansa Alfarisi (M.V.A), Muhamad Rifa Aditya (M.R.A), Veri Kurniawan Kusuma (V.K.K), Joy Erlando Pandiangan (J.E.P), Muhamad Jalaludin Mukhlis (M.J.M), Jatnika Alang Ramdani Septiawan (J.A.R.S). All eight were tortured to force them into confessing to the alleged offenses.

Indonesia Update

November 29, 2025

Conditions inside police detention:

— From the very beginning, this case hasn’t been handled only by regular police and the Cyber Crime unit, but also by Densus 88, the special anti-terrorism / anti-makar unit (“makar” is the Indonesian term for “inciting an action or planning to overthrow the government).

— Most of the arrested anarchists have already started going to trial and have been moved to Kebon Waru prison.

— Eat (Reyhard Rumbayan) still has zero info about when his trial will happen. He’s the only one who’s been interrogated by Densus 88 — they see him as the “mastermind” behind everything related to anarchism.

— There are basically three types of charges being thrown at the detainees: (1) the brains behind the scenes, (2) the instigators, (3) the ones who got instigated. Of course, that’s because the state can’t wrap its head around the idea that spontaneous actions can happen without any leader — that concept just doesn’t exist in the state’s logic.

— The anarchist detainees don’t have access to lawyers. Some of them were thrown straight into solitary confinement for a month or even longer. By Indonesian law, a lawyer has to be appointed by family members. The problem is, quite a few of these anarchists don’t have family who are willing to help. A couple who finally got family support are now starting to work with lawyers. Some lawyers are already being lined up for those who haven’t gone to trial yet.

— Health conditions of several detainees are getting worse. Two people were badly physically tortured, one was psychologically tortured to the point of severe depression so bad he can barely speak, one is in critical condition and was taken to a military hospital, and Eat’s health is deteriorating because they won’t let him get the regular medication he needs for his medical condition.

— The initial amount of money donated has mostly been used to cover medical treatment so far.

— Latest news: 12 anarchists were arrested in Bali and transferred to police detention in West Java.

General situation in Indonesia:

— Densus 88 has started infiltrating anarchist circles, including scenes that are considered close to anarchists, like the punk scene.

— These infiltrators are using imagery and symbols that anarchists (especially insurrectionary ones) normally use, so others will think they’re legit. They’re actively pushing for riots like the ones that happened last August, hoping to scoop up young anarchists who join in.

— Bad news: some of these infiltrators have actually succeeded.

— This is going to turn into a massive witch-hunt against anarchists all over Indonesia.

Part 3: Communiques from Anarchist Prisoners

Letter from Some Imprisoned Comrades from the “Chaos Star” Case

Palang Hitam / ABC: This letter is from a section of the Chaos Star defendants in the West Java Paramilitary police compound. The reference to FAAF is the Free Association of Autonomous Fires. Fire To The Prisons!

Greetings to friends and to enemies alike,

Even now, the structures of power—ancient, rigid, and towering—continue to stand. Yet last August, people cracked the illusion of their invincibility. They showed that nothing is beyond transformation when our desires converge into a force capable of opening pathways toward the worlds we long to create.

We are individualists because we refuse the ideological fantasies of withered anarchists who preach like missionaries of a fading religion.

We are individualists because we believe in an anarchy of imagination—creative, diverse, unbound.

We are individualists who hold that nihilism is a concrete passage toward self-actualization, beyond the messianic dead-ends of dividing reality into “good” and “evil,” knowing full well the complexity of life cannot be squeezed into the decaying relics of Judeo-Christian doctrine—relics that should be buried like the myths of prophets and their fading gods.

We are individualists because we believe in the absolute autonomy of each person to shape the life they desire—yet we also believe in cooperation, in the equality of individuals who pursue their desires together. Our anti-social anarchy is an active refusal of the old values reproduced endlessly in everyday life.

At the same time, we are bewildered, amused, and entertained by the foolish accusations hurled by some social anarchists who label us as “purists,” as if our rejection of organization were born of loyalty to some classical anarchist canon—an ideology drenched in Eurocentrism, streaked with the colonial residue of Western civilization, and infused with the Enlightenment’s humanism, the very root of authoritarian democracy. We reject all ideologies. The rebels of Paris Commune in 1871, the revolutionaries of Spain in 1936, the dreamers of Paris in 1968, and those of August 2025—all remind us of brief lives that were truly worth living beyond any ideologies.

From behind these walls and bars, we send a sharp wind to every wild soul, reminding them that they are not alone against the repulsive realities engineered by the powerful.

The compass of anarchy draws us together at the threshold between free will and the will to power. We belong to no formal anarchist organization (spare us).

We are not part of impotent collectives like the PRISONERS’ UNION (Serikat Tahanan), nor any group that claims us as their own—much less the so-called anarchist movement with its church-like rigidity and archaic morality.

Toward the fusion of social and individual anarchy, and toward the negation of every radical movement that mirrors—or even surpasses—the mental and physical prisons of the state and capitalism!

This is an open letter to all anarchist of praxis. Fuck all idols, burn all radical bibles, and attack the enemy on all fronts.

FAAF & Individualist Prisoners, West Java Police Prison, December 1, 2025.

Communique from Anarchist Prisoners from the FAAF Imprisoned in Indonesia

December 13, 2025

Light a Fire in the Darkness

Anarchists in Indonesia are confronting an enormous storm. More than a dozen anarchists have been imprisoned and tortured, and the State is trying to discipline us and scare us. But this is nothing to us. Because we are the storm, their catastrophe incarnate. Here we have comrades from Black Bloc Zone, Palang Hitam Anarkis (Anarchist Black Cross) Indonesia, Contemplative, Katong Press, and other collectives.

Our comrades take the form of storms enveloped in flames. Some of us consider this moment as the culmination, but this is neither the beginning nor the end. We are gathering all the flames around us, the flames that the State has tried to extinguish.

How many times must we repeat ourselves? “We can live without the State!” Fuck society! Society is the most precious tool of the State to preserve its own existence. We hate society with all our hearts.

We believe that the dawn of hunger will rise sooner or later, and this will mark the beginning of the era of the State’s destruction.

For those on the outside: be steadfast, gather all the sparks that you can. And for those behind bars, or feel imprisoned, you are not alone.

Struggle! Struggle! Fuck winning or losing. What’s important is that our eyes continue to shine in each fight.

To everyone:

Spread the rhizome!

Death to the State!

Long live Anarchy!

Warm greetings from anarchist prisoners in Indonesia

Part 4: Addresses for Anarchist Prisoners

We must ensure our comrades aren’t alone! Send letters of solidarity, love, and rage. Out of the approximately 650 people still detained (either imprisoned or awaiting court decisions) from the August 2025 insurrection, here are two anarchist prisoners who can read English.