A group of citizens claiming to be from the illegal settlements on the banks of the Ancol River tried to break into Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s house in Penjaringan, North Jakarta at around 10 pm last night.
The group said they were protesting their eviction by the provincial government from their illegal settlement on the riverbanks in Taman Sari and Pademangan.
Thankfully, they couldn’t even get past the gate of Ahok’s housing complex, even though they tried to use force.
“Three, two, one, puuush!” the protesters rallied as they tried to break through the gate, as observed by Kompas last night.
The protest didn’t last long because 40 police officers quickly arrived at the scene and told the protesters to disperse.
It should be noted that the government offered to move the people being evicted into government built low-cost housing, which some would say is a rather generous offer for people who have been living on land illegally for years.
