Overview

• Students and artists have plastered One Piece’s Jolly Roger across walls and vehicles to protest corruption, unemployment and perceived democratic backsliding.
• Police in provinces including East Java, West Java and Riau have confiscated pirate flags, raided printing shops and summoned demonstrators to enforce laws barring non-national symbols from flying beside the red-and-white flag.
• Under legislation that forbids other emblems from appearing above or alongside the national flag, individuals displaying the Jolly Roger could face up to five years in prison or fines approaching $31,000.
• Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Security Minister Budi Gunawan have labeled the displays divisive provocations that threaten national unity, even as State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi says creative expression is acceptable if it does not diminish the national banner.
• Amnesty International and other rights groups have criticized the government’s actions as heavy-handed violations of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.