August 13, 2026 | 11:14 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Several accounts have been circulating content regarding protests or demonstrations on Facebook and Instagram ahead of the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia. Account holders claim that the "Reform 2.0 Protests" took place in Jakarta throughout the first week of August 2026.
One such post came from the account "Ingpo Sekitar," which shared a Channel News Asia (CNA) news segment about student protests or demonstrations in Indonesia on August 4, 2026. The owner of this account—which has 1.2 million followers—captioned the post by noting that the Indonesian government was drawing attention from foreign media. The post garnered 4,500 reactions and 414 shares.
Another account, belonging to Arif Mardianto, shared a photo of street protests dated August 3, 2026. The verified account holder claimed the image depicted a demonstration involving thousands of students from various universities at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout.
Tempo's Fact Check Team collected protest or demonstration content on Facebook and Instagram from August 1 to 8, 2026. The team's investigation uncovered 18 accounts sharing nine types of documentation with similar narratives.
Tempo then verified the content using reverse image search tools from Google, Yandex, and Bing. The verification results showed that the account owners used documentation from past events. No large demonstrations took place in Jakarta from August 1 to 8, 2026.
Content Verification
Content 1
The video uploaded by the orang dalam update (an insider's update) account is a compilation of photos and videos. One of the photos is identical to a photo from the Antara news agency published on May 19, 1998. The caption explains that students from various universities are protesting by occupying the Indonesian Parliament building to demand that Suharto step down as President of Indonesia.
Content 2
The video clip bears similarities to a news report on the "Official iNews" YouTube channel titled Unjuk Rasa Menolak Revisi UU Pilkada Digelar Serentak di Sejumlah Daerah (Simultaneous Protests Against the Regional Election Law Revision Held in Various Regions), uploaded on August 24, 2024. The event was a student protest opposing the revision of the Regional Election Law, following an attempt by the House of Representatives' Legislative Body to overturn a Constitutional Court ruling regarding candidate age requirements and nomination thresholds.
Content 3
The footage posted by the INFO LOKER IKN INDONESIA account was recorded during a student demonstration in the Bundaran HI area—specifically on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta—on Friday, June 12, 2026. An identical video was also broadcast on the IDN Times YouTube channel. The visual resemblance is evident in the figure of a man wearing a purple jacket who attempts to break through the police line.
Content 4
The video clip was uploaded by the Facebook account M Sirait on August 8, 2026. However, an identical video had previously been uploaded by the Instagram account @Storyrakyat_ on June 19, 2026. The demonstration shown in the video was part of a series of student protests that had been ongoing since June 12, 2026. The protesters demanded that the government cancel the fuel price hike and urged a review of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program and the Merah Putih Village Cooperative.
Content 5
The video uploaded by the Ingpo Sekitar account is identical to a news broadcast on Channelnewsasia.com about the student protest on June 12, 2026. When the demonstration broke out, several Indonesian media outlets, including METRO TV and Tempo, broadcast the event.
Content 6
This video, uploaded by Ari Hartanto Plat AD, was recorded while university students were staging the "Reform 2.0" protest in Central Jakarta on Friday, June 12, 2026. A video shot from a different angle was published on the Warta Kota Production account.
Content 7
The video from the Instagram account @rajaalisman captures a protest by students and members of the public on August 29, 2025. Similar footage was also published on the Tribunnews YouTube channel, recording the scene as the Cawang Toll Gate was engulfed in flames. The protests erupted following the death of online motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a Mobile Brigade tactical vehicle.
Content 8
This photo from Arif Mardianto's Facebook account is identical to photos belonging to the news agencies Antara and Tempo. It shows university students packing Jalan MH Thamrin, Jakarta, during a protest on June 12, 2026. Students, alongside various segments of society, were demonstrating to demand improvements in national economic governance.
Content 9
The Facebook account "Dagang Sepatu Mataram" uploaded a photo collage. One of the three photos included in the collage depicts a protest at the Constitutional Court (MK) building in Central Jakarta on Thursday, August 22, 2024. Similar photos have previously been published by liputan6.com and perpustakaan.dpr.go.id.
CONCLUSION
The claim that "Reformasi Jilid II" (Reform 2.0) protests took place in August 2026 is misleading.
The content in question does indeed stem from various protests held by students and the public to voice their views on the situation in Indonesia. However, the photos and videos used originate from demonstrations that occurred at different times and locations.
There is no evidence that such protests or demonstrations took place between August 1 and August 8, 2026, as claimed in the Facebook and Instagram posts.
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