Indonesian authorities detained several dozen protesters following a demonstration against President Prabowo Subianto’s policies in Surabaya, the country’s second-largest city, according to a local rights group. The protest took place on Friday near a government building, drawing an estimated 100 participants who voiced opposition to a recent fuel price increase and the president’s signature free meals program.

Witnesses reported that some demonstrators threw rocks at police officers and set fires in the street, leading to police intervention. Fatkul Khoir, a coordinator with the rights organization KontraS Surabaya, said 24 protesters were arrested and held for questioning until early Saturday morning, though none were formally charged.

Surabaya police chief Luthfie Sulistiawan confirmed that officers took “firm actions” in response to projectiles thrown by protesters, describing the arrests as numbering in the “dozens,” but he did not provide a specific figure.

The protests reflect growing public discontent with the government’s decision to raise the price of non-subsidized gasoline by about 30 percent. This policy aims to relieve budgetary strains exacerbated by disruptions in global oil supplies linked to ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The unrest is part of a broader wave of demonstrations in Indonesia this month, including large-scale protests in the capital, Jakarta. There, thousands of students have rallied against both the fuel price hikes and Prabowo’s multi-billion-dollar free meals initiative, a key element of his political platform. The program has faced criticism for perceived inefficiency and its association with recent mass food poisoning incidents, resulting in a partial suspension.

This episode of unrest follows Indonesia’s largest protests since Prabowo’s inauguration in 2024, when nationwide demonstrations in August and September originally targeted extravagant benefits for lawmakers. Those protests escalated after a police vehicle fatally struck a delivery driver, leading to widespread outrage against security forces. Human rights organizations reported that the demonstrations resulted in 10 deaths and thousands of arrests, though most detainees have subsequently been released.