In the weeks before Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day on August 17, 2025, some people flew the Straw Hat Pirates’ Jolly Roger as a protest symbol. Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said authorities had detected an attempt to divide national unity. But that was an official’s characterization—not a formal government designation of the flag as a national threat, nor a settled legal finding. Officials gave differing accounts of what the displays meant and what, if anything, the law prohibited.
What happened in Indonesia
As Independence Day approached, the black One Piece flag—showing a skull wearing a straw hat—appeared on homes, cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats. Al Jazeera described the displays as an unusual protest movement, with some people using the flag to criticize President Prabowo Subianto’s policies. The controversy joined two issues: protest expression and whether the national flag, known as the Red and White, was being respected in how other flags were displayed. Not every person who flew the Jolly Roger necessarily shared the same purpose. Al Jazeera reported on the movement on August 16, 2025.
What officials said—and what “national threat” means here
Sufmi Dasco Ahmad: a warning about unity
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said: “We have detected and received input from security agencies that there is indeed an attempt to divide unity. My appeal to all the nation’s children is to unite and fight against such things,” as quoted by Al Jazeera. His statement cast the displays as a threat to national unity. It does not establish that the government formally designated the One Piece flag itself a national threat.
Budi Gunawan: concern about the national flag
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan warned that the One Piece-associated flag could pose a potential threat to Indonesia’s national flag and referred to Article 24(1) of Law No. 24 of 2009. ANTARA’s account ties the concern to the Red and White and the rules on raising other flags above it; it should not be read as proof that any display of the Jolly Roger is prohibited. ANTARA reported Gunawan’s warning.
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Natalius Pigai: argued the state could prohibit it
Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai said the state could firmly prohibit raising the fictional flag in the name of national stability and integrity. Amnesty International Indonesia also reported that Pigai invoked legal and treason grounds for a possible ban. Those were Pigai’s stated positions, not a court’s finding that displaying the flag amounted to treason or was illegal. The Ministry of Human Rights recorded his position in an August 3, 2025 statement; Amnesty International Indonesia also discussed his remarks and freedom-of-expression concerns on August 8.
Prasetyo Hadi: Prabowo saw creative expression
State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said President Prabowo viewed the trend as an “expression of creativity,” while cautioning that the national flag should be respected. The Indonesian National Police’s official news site likewise reported that the president permitted displays provided they were not placed in opposition to Indonesia’s flag. That position differs from the warning that the movement was an effort to divide unity. ANTARA reported Hadi’s account; the Indonesian National Police reported the condition on flag placement.
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Why some people flew the Straw Hat flag
For some participants, the flag expressed dissatisfaction with government policy. Al Jazeera quoted Airlangga University lecturer Radityo Dharmaputra connecting the gesture to rising prices, difficulty finding work and perceived government incompetence. A truck driver identified by the pseudonym Adi told the outlet: “To me, it is a symbol of my disappointment and resistance against the government.” The pseudonym and the source’s attribution matter: this is one participant’s explanation, not a statement of every flag-flyer’s motives.
The symbol also draws on the meaning of the Jolly Roger within One Piece, where it is associated with hope, freedom and resistance to authoritarianism. In Indonesia, that fictional association gave some people a recognizable way to signal protest shortly before a major national celebration.
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Does Indonesian law ban the One Piece flag?
The available accounts do not establish a blanket ban or a final court ruling that the flag itself is illegal. ANTARA reported that Gunawan cited Article 24(1) of Law No. 24 of 2009, describing it as prohibiting the raising of another flag above the Red and White. That is a rule about relative placement, not by itself evidence that flying the Jolly Roger elsewhere is automatically unlawful. The cited reporting does not provide a definitive court judgment resolving the flag’s legal status.
Enforcement reports also need a date attached. Al Jazeera said on August 16, 2025 that no one had been criminally charged as of publication, while noting local-media reports of raids, flag seizures and questioning. That dated account does not establish what happened afterward. Amnesty International Indonesia criticized reported enforcement as a violation of freedom of expression; that is Amnesty’s assessment, not a judicial ruling.
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How to read the controversy
- Political claim: Dasco described the displays as an attempt to divide national unity; Gunawan warned of a possible threat to the national flag.
- Participant meaning: Some people used the Jolly Roger to express disappointment or resistance, though motives could vary.
- Legal question: The cited rule concerns raising another flag above the Red and White. The reporting cited here does not establish that every display was illegal or that a court ruled the symbol itself unlawful.
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