JAKARTA, Thekabarnews.com—Thousands of students from the University of Indonesia (UI) gathered on Friday, June 12, 2026, before marching from the university campus to Jakarta’s iconic HI Roundabout. The event became a large-scale demonstration carrying the hashtag #MenujuIndonesiaBangkrut.

The protest started to take shape early Friday morning at the parking lot of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), where students began to assemble as early as 9:00 a.m. local time.

Hundreds began the rally, but the crowd quickly swelled to thousands as more students joined in preparation for the march.

The black clothing, along with the university’s characteristic yellow blazers, made for a dramatic visual punctuation for the demonstration.

Some wore UI’s signature yellow alma mater jackets; others went fully black. The result was a symbolic display of the movement’s identity.

From the campus, many thousands of students were getting ready to march toward the city center of Jakarta. They wanted to voice their concerns about the deteriorating state of the nation.

“It’s not just a fashion statement; it is a conscious symbol of the increasingly depressing state of the country in the eyes of students,” Chairman of the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM UI) Yatalathof Ma’sum Imawan said, as quoted by Tribunnews.

“The black clothing is a symbol of dying hope and a country going into darkness,” Athof said at a gathering before the march.

He said the demonstration was to pressure the Indonesian government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to stop the policies and programs that students think have burdened the national budget too much. These policies have inadequately addressed the ongoing crises plaguing the country.

The protesters said they want the #MenujuIndonesiaBangkrut campaign to raise public awareness on several issues they see as important. For example, they highlighted economic problems, democratic regression, governance, and a decline in the country’s moral values.

The movement aims to stimulate a wider public debate on Indonesia’s current trajectory and to pressure policymakers. Organizers said they want policymakers to pay more attention to the concerns of the young.

Thousands of demonstrators left the UI campus in an orderly but very energetic mood for Central Jakarta. Indonesia faces major economic, political, and social challenges that require immediate attention. The students stressed their point with chants, banners, and coordinated displays of black and yellow.

The march to the HI Roundabout was a peaceful expression of public criticism and constitutional rights, organizers said. However, the protest was expected to be one of the biggest student demonstrations in Jakarta this year.

The demonstration shows the continuing role of Indonesian university students as vocal participants in national discourse. This is especially true in issues of public policy, economic management, democratic governance, and social justice.

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