JAKARTA — Hundreds of Indonesian students demonstrated in Jakarta on Friday against government economic policies. Approximately 1,500 protesters attempted to march to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle after Friday prayers.

Authorities deployed more than 6,000 police officers and soldiers to the demonstration site. They blocked streets leading to the presidential palace and restricted the movement of protesters toward the circle.

The demonstrators called for reductions in the cost of fuel and staple food items. They also urged President Prabowo Subianto to scale back state spending initiatives. Protesters cited rising living costs following higher fuel prices, which they attributed to a U.S. military conflict in Iran. The Indonesian government had implemented a 32 percent increase in fuel prices during the week of the protests.

Protesters presented five key demands to the government. These demands included reducing state expenditures, lowering fuel and food prices, suspending a free nutritious meal program, and halting rural revitalization initiatives. The free meals program carries an annual budget of approximately 268 trillion rupiah, which is equivalent to $15 billion. The rupiah reached an exchange rate of 18,000 to the U.S. dollar earlier in June, after trading at 16,000 to the U.S. dollar in March.

President Subianto dismissed the director of the free meals program in early June during a corruption investigation. Rafael Arreva, a student protester, said, "Wasteful spending on free meals has led to a fiscal situation where subsidies initially provided had been withdrawn."

Demonstrators also requested a reduction in military involvement in civilian government affairs. Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan, who chairs the student organization that coordinated the rally, said, "The government is in denial about the current situation. We urge Prabowo to have the courage to acknowledge his mistake and stop denying it." Many participants wore yellow university jackets during the rally, which organizers referred to as the Heading to Bankrupt Indonesia protest. Some students attempted to cross police barricades, leading to altercations.