Indonesians elevate anime pirate flag in protest as nation marks independence

[ad_1] Medan, Indonesia – Indonesia is celebrating 80 years of independence from Dutch colonial rule, however not everyone seems to be in a celebratory temper, and an uncommon protest motion has rallied round a cartoon pirate flag.

The flag, which incorporates a cranium and crossbones carrying a straw hat, has been noticed adorning properties, vehicles, vehicles, bikes and boats throughout Indonesia.

Popularised by the hit Japanese anime One Piece, the flag has even been flown beneath the Indonesian flag – referred to as the merah-putih (pink and white) – which is extensively raised all through the month of August within the lead-up to Independence Day on Sunday.

Within the anime collection, which was tailored by Netflix in 2023, the hatted cranium and crossbones flag is utilized by adventurer Monkey D Luffy – who at some point hopes to turn out to be a pirate king – and is seen as an indication of hope, freedom and a pushback in opposition to authoritarianism.

In Indonesia, the flag has been raised as an indication of protest amid rising public frustration with the federal government.

“Rising costs, difficulties in getting a job and the incompetencies of the federal government have prompted the folks to make use of satire and sarcasm,” Radityo Dharmaputra, a lecturer in worldwide relations at Airlangga College in Surabaya, advised Al Jazeera.

Elevating the pirate flag is an indication of “rising dissatisfaction in society, even with all of the so-called progress that the federal government has claimed”, Dharmaputra stated.

Prabowo Subianto was sworn in as the brand new president of Indonesia in October, promising quick financial progress and social change on this nation of virtually 286 million folks.

However Southeast Asia’s largest economic system and most populous democracy is faltering.

<img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" class="size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3889583" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AFP__20250808__68XG869__v1__HighRes__IndonesiaPoliticsProtestAnime-1755244937.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="A graffiti of the pirate flag from Japanese anime One Piece, adopted by some Indonesians as a symbol of frustration with their government, is seen on a street in Sukoharjo, Central Java, on August 6, 2025, ahead of the countrys 80th Independence Day. As Indonesia's independence day approaches red and white flags will be flown across the country, but a viral anime pirate banner has drawn government threats against flying the swashbuckling ensign. A Jolly Roger skull and bone symbol topped with a straw hat from Japan's anime series 'One Piece' has caused concern among officials in Jakarta that it is being used to criticise President Prabowo Subianto's policies. (Photo by DIKA / AFP) / TO GO WITH 'INDONESIA-POLITICS-PROTEST-ANIME, FOCUS' BY DESSY SAGITA & JACK MOORE" fetchpriority="low"/> A graffiti of the pirate flag from Japanese anime One Piece, adopted by some Indonesians as an emblem of frustration with their authorities, is seen on a road in Sukoharjo, Central Java, on August 6, 2025 [Dika/AFP] ‘A logo of my disappointment and resistance’ Indonesia has one of many highest youth unemployment rates in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 16 % of the 44 million Indonesians aged 15-24 unemployed, whereas overseas buyers are pulling capital in another country and the federal government is slicing the finances.

In a survey printed by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore in January, about 58 % of younger Indonesians stated they had been optimistic concerning the authorities’s financial plans, in contrast with a mean of 75 % throughout 5 different international locations within the area – Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Earlier than the flag protest, in February, the “Indonesia Gelap” or “Darkish Indonesia” motion gained momentum, with residents utilizing the #IndonesiaGelap hashtag on social media to vent their frustrations about the way forward for the nation following widespread finances cuts and proposed adjustments in laws permitting the navy to have a better function within the authorities.

The net protest was adopted by pupil demonstrations, which erupted throughout numerous cities.

President Prabowo accused the Darkish Indonesia motion of being backed by “corruptors” bent on creating pessimism within the nation.

“That is fabricated, paid for, by whom?” Prabowo stated, in line with Indonesian information outlet Tempo.

“By those that need Indonesia to all the time be chaotic, Indonesia to all the time be poor. Sure, these corruptors are those financing the demonstrations. Indonesia is darkish, Indonesia is darkish. Sorry, Indonesia is vibrant, Indonesia’s future is vibrant,” the president stated.

<img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" class="size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3889586" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-08-08T043111Z_909175520_RC2Q2GA4E7LO_RTRMADP_3_INDONESIA-INDEPENDENCEDAY-ONE-PIECE-1755245070.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="Kemas Muhammad Firdaus, 28, paints a mural depicting a Jolly Roger from the popular Japanese anime and manga series 'One Piece' in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia, August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana" fetchpriority="low"/> A graffiti artist paints a mural depicting a Jolly Roger from the favored Japanese anime and manga collection One Piece in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia, on August 7 , 2025 [Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters] Adi*, a truck driver within the metropolis of Malang in East Java, advised Al Jazeera that he has been flying the anime pirate flag on the aspect of his truck for the previous three weeks.

“Many, many individuals have been flying it in East Java. To me, it's a image of my disappointment and resistance in opposition to the federal government,” he stated.

Adi stated that he had lengthy been annoyed, however that the flag had supplied him with a brand new manner of displaying this frustration.

Members of his household had died, Adi stated, when police fired tear gas into the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java’s Malang metropolis on October 1, 2022, following what police claimed was a pitch invasion by followers on the finish of a soccer match.

This tear fuel led to panic and a crowd crush at locked exit gates that killed 135 folks.

Three law enforcement officials and two match officers had been prosecuted for his or her roles within the tragedy, one of many worst in worldwide footballing historical past.

“I'm upset by the dearth of justice for the victims of Kanjuruhan. Till now, we now have obtained not one of the restitution we had been promised. I'm additionally upset by different issues in Indonesia, together with rising costs,” he stated.

‘An try to divide unity’ The One Piece pirate flag has caught the eye of the federal government, with Budi Gunawan, the coordinating minister for political and safety affairs, warning that authorities would take “agency motion” if the flag was flown on Sunday’s Independence Day.

“There can be felony penalties for actions that violate the honour of the pink and white flag,” he stated.

Indonesia’s Deputy Home Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad branded the hoisting of the pirate flag an try to intentionally sow dissent.

“We now have detected and obtained enter from safety businesses that there's certainly an try to divide unity. My enchantment to all of the nation’s kids is to unite and battle in opposition to such issues,” he stated.

Yohanes Sulaiman, a lecturer in worldwide relations at Jenderal Achmad Yani College, advised Al Jazeera that the federal government’s warnings had been doubtless an try to clamp down on the present of symbolic dissent.

“I believe they didn’t understand how Prabowo would react and thus thought it higher to indicate their loyalty and take the intense place than be sorry later,” Sulaiman stated.

The federal government threats had “backfired spectacularly”, he stated, including that it was left wanting like a “laughing inventory”.

“Saying that the flag has the potential of breaking up the nation is an excessive amount of. It's hyperbolic and no person takes it severely,” he stated.

<img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" class="size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3889589" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AFP__20250808__68XH6WG__v1__HighRes__IndonesiaPoliticsProtestAnime-1755245211.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="A worker holds a replica of the pirate flag from Japanese anime One Piece, made for sale as some Indonesians adopt the symbol from a story about resisting a corrupt world government to express frustration with their own, at a T-shirt workshop in Karanganyar, Central Java, on August 6, 2025, ahead of the countrys 80th Independence Day. As Indonesia's independence day approaches red and white flags will be flown across the country, but a viral anime pirate banner has drawn government threats against flying the swashbuckling ensign. A Jolly Roger skull and bone symbol topped with a straw hat from Japan's anime series 'One Piece' has caused concern among officials in Jakarta that it is being used to criticise President Prabowo Subianto's policies. (Photo by DIKA / AFP) / TO GO WITH 'INDONESIA-POLITICS-PROTEST-ANIME, FOCUS' BY DESSY SAGITA & JACK MOORE" fetchpriority="low"/> A employee holds a reproduction of the pirate flag from Japanese anime One Piece, made on the market as some Indonesians undertake the image from a narrative about resisting a corrupt world authorities to precise frustration with their very own, at a T-shirt workshop in Karanganyar, Central Java, on August 6, 2025 [Dika/AFP] Sulaiman stated the origins of the flag’s use in Indonesia may very well be traced again to truck drivers.

“Truckers had been those first flying it to protest a latest regulation that forbade obese vehicles from hitting the street. If the federal government had simply ignored it, the flag would have ended up on the again of vehicles and no person would have taken it severely,” Sulaiman stated.

“However, they needed to make it a few nationwide risk, a risk to nationwide unity and disrespect of the nationwide flag,” he stated.

He added that the elevated visibility of the pirate flag comes at a delicate time in Indonesia – forward of Independence Day – which is historically a second for the federal government and the general public to rejoice.

Ian Wilson, a lecturer in politics and safety research at Murdoch College in Perth, Australia, stated the flag furore demonstrated “sensitivity round perceptions of recognition” within the present authorities.

The flag as an emblem of protest gave the impression to be a extra fragmented motion than latest and historic protests in Indonesia, Wilson stated, which have historically been largely pushed by college students.

“College students are a extra singular group, however it is a extra dispersed phenomenon throughout totally different teams and elements of the nation, which is indicative of widespread dissatisfaction. It touches a nerve because of the subtle illustration,” he stated.

“We're seeing this phenomenon in locations like villages and by common folks in semi-rural areas, which aren't typical websites of dissent in Indonesia,” he added.

‘An expression of creativity’ In response to reviews by native Indonesian media, anime pirate flags have been seized in raids by authorities in East Java, whereas residents discovered displaying them have been questioned within the Riau Islands.

Up to now, nobody has been criminally charged, as flying the pirate flag shouldn't be technically unlawful.

Usman Hamid, Amnesty Worldwide Indonesia’s govt director, stated the raids had been “a flagrant violation of the precise to freedom of expression”.

“Elevating an anime flag shouldn't be ‘treason’ or ‘propaganda to disunite the nation’, as recommended by authorities officers,” Hamid stated in an announcement.

“Authorities, together with lawmakers, should cease harassing folks by threatening them with jail phrases for ‘disrespecting the nationwide flag’ and ‘treason’ in the event that they elevate One Piece flags,” he added.

<img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" class="size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3889593" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AFP__20250808__68Y63ZT__v1__HighRes__IndonesiaPoliticsProtestAnime-1-1755245330.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="A pirate flag from the Japanese anime One Piece, installed a week earlier to follow an internet trend using the symbol to criticise government policies, is seen at a house in Solo, Central Java, on August 7, 2025, ahead of the country ' s 80th Independence Day. As Indonesia's independence day approaches red and white flags will be flown across the country, but a viral anime pirate banner has drawn government threats against flying the swashbuckling ensign. A Jolly Roger skull and bone symbol topped with a straw hat from Japan's anime series 'One Piece' has caused concern among officials in Jakarta that it is being used to criticise President Prabowo Subianto's policies. (Photo by DIKA / AFP) / TO GO WITH 'INDONESIA-POLITICS-PROTEST-ANIME, FOCUS' BY DESSY SAGITA & JACK MOORE" fetchpriority="low"/> A pirate flag is seen at a home in Solo, Central Java, on August 7, 2025 [Dika/AFP] Truck driver Adi advised Al Jazeera that he had seen no indications that the federal government’s threats had had any influence on these flying the flag and that they may nonetheless be seen prominently on show throughout East Java – each on vehicles and buildings.

“Why would I be petrified of any sanctions?” Adi requested.

The president’s workplace has denied any involvement within the police confiscating flags or questioning civilians.

For his half, Prabowo – a retired military common who oversaw crackdowns on the 1998 pupil protests that precipitated the autumn of the nation’s longtime dictator President Soeharto – stated that the flag was “an expression of creativity”.

Murdoch College’s Wilson stated that the federal government had maybe been rattled by the Darkish Indonesia protests, which got here early on in Prabowo’s presidency.