Hundreds of Indonesian students and civil society groups on Wednesday (October 28) staged a protest in some cities including the capital Jakarta against the ongoing forest fires and President Prabowo Subianto's policies, a test to his nascent presidency.

Worsened by the El Niño weather pattern that leaves peatland vulnerable to fires, Indonesia has been faced with its worst forest fires and resulting haze in 11 years, increasing respiratory illnesses and polluting the airs of neighbouring countries Malaysia and Singapore.

Protesters crowded a Jakarta landmark roundabout, with some wearing gas masks, holding up signs protesting forest fires and demanding the government designate the blaze as a national disaster. Students also rallied in the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi and Bandung, West Java with the similar demands.

Protesters demanded the government halt spending on populist programmes such as Prabowo's free meals scheme, among other demands

The protests, the second in a week, came as Prabowo's approval ratings have fallen steadily since late last year, according to surveys by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), two years into his presidency.

Indonesia has prosecuted companies allegedly linked to the fires and tried methods of modifying the weather to induce rain.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

'You burn with us': Indonesia students protest forest fires, Prabowo policies

VIDEO SHOWS: STUDENTS PROTESTING IN JAKARTA, BANDUNG AND MAKASSAR / PROTESTERS WAVING POSTERS AND FLAGS / SOUNDBITES FROM PROTESTERS

SHOWS: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (OCTOBER 28, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING AGAINST COUNTRY'S GOVERNMENT

2. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERING AT JAKARTA ROUNDABOUT

3. PLACARD READING (English) "HEY WOK! NOBODY PAID US WE ALL HATE YOU FOR FREE"

4. PROTESTERS RALLYING, HOLDING PLACARD READING (English) "IF WE BURN THEY SHOULD BURN WITH US!"

5. VARIOUS OF POLICE JOINING HANDS TO FORM LINE BLOCKING PROTESTERS

6. POLICE TRYING TO BLOCK PROTESTERS

7. PROTESTERS GATHERING AT ROAD WITH BANNERS AND FLAGS

8. PROTESTER CHANTING AMONG THREE-FINGER SIGN OF OTHERS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) PROTESTER, JOHANES SIAGIAN, 21, SAYING:

"I am here purely from my anxiety, because the government the longer we leave it is not better, there are many experts, there are many advisory councils, why not get better."

10. POSTER READING (Bahasa Indonesia) "2 YEARS IS ENOUGH, 5 YEARS IS DEADLY, PRABOWO FAILED COMPLETELY"

11. POLICE CONFRONTING PROTESTERS

12. VARIOUS OF PROTESTER'S HANDS JOIN FORMING BOUNDARY

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) PROTESTER, ISMAN RAHMANI YUSRON, 36, SAYING:

"The point of view (of the government) is always from the point of view of capital not in favour of the average people who are experiencing strong economic pressure and that is the root of the problem or the tone depth of the government towards the people who are experiencing pressure."

14. PROTESTERS

MAKASSAR, SOUTH SULAWESI PROVINCE, INDONESIA (OCTOBER 28, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

15. STUDENTS RALLYING

16. STUDENTS PROTESTING UNDER FLYOVER

17. PROTESTERS LISTENING TO LEADER'S SPEECH

18. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) PROTESTER, AGUNG RAMADHAN, 22, SAYING:

"(We want government to do on wildfires) how can the government restore the function of the forest to its original function (in the case of land fires), we use three-finger symbol in this protest."

19. PLACARD READING (Bahasa Indonesia) "REJECT CORRUPTION, COLLUSION AND NEPOTISM"

20. BANNER READING (Bahasa Indonesia) "2-YEAR EVALUATION OF PRABOWO-GIBRAN REGIME

21. PROTESTERS GATHERING, LISTENING TO SPEECH

22. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH THEIR BODIES PAINTED IN RED, AND "YOUTH" (Bahasa Indonesia) WRITTEN ON

23. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) PROTESTER, FAJAR WASIS, 23, SAYING:

"That the youth are charging the promise of state responsibility for the forest and Land Fire Emergency, our demands urge the central and local governments to address the forest and land fires that occur in this Republic."

BANDUNG, WEST JAVA PROVINCE, INDONESIA (OCTOBER 28, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

24. STUDENTS GATHERING UNDER FLYOVER TO PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT

25. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING AND SHOUTING

26. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) PROTESTER, MUHAMMAD ALIEF RAHMAN, 21, SAYING:

"Here I stand with my friends to give a red report card to Prabowo-Gibran who is considered negligent and there is no development or production of anything for the people."

27. PROTESTER HOLDING PAMPHLET READING (Bahasa Indonesia) "ART DISABLED, VOICE MUTED"

28. PAMPHLET READING (Bahasa Indonesia) "FORCED TO BE HEALTHY AND SANE IN A COUNTRY THAT FEARS CRITICISM"

29. POLICE GUARDING WITH FULL PROTECTIVE GEAR

30. PROTESTERS GATHERING