Tens of thousands of labor activists took to the streets of the Indonesian capital for the city’s annual May Day rally on Monday, demanding higher wages and an end to “new-style slavery” in the largest protest to hit Jakarta in months.
The Jakarta Police estimated that about 40,000 protestors participated in the rally. The capital was under heavy security as tensions remained high on the heels of a tense gubernatorial election. But the fears were, for the most part, unfounded. The protests, which were repeated across Indonesia, ended with only minor incidents.
Videos by VICE
May Day, or International Workers Day, is a global holiday calling for greater workers’ rights. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared May Day a national holiday in 2013.
Women with shirts reading “domestic workers” in a more politically correct fashion.
Protest signs read “Stop New-Style Slavery”
Sign reads: “The moratorium on sending migrant workers to the Middle East = a violation of female domestic workers’ rights. Repeal it now!”
