Indonesia on Sunday announced cuts to financial perks for lawmakers after protests over economic hardship escalated into deadly violence, leaving at least five people dead. The unrest intensified following the circulation of footage showing a motorcycle taxi driver run over by a police vehicle during a demonstration against lawmakers’ lavish allowances.

President Prabowo Subianto, speaking from Jakarta, said parliament leadership had agreed to revoke several policies, including housing allowances for lawmakers and a moratorium on overseas trips, though he did not specify which allowances would be affected.

“Protests should remain peaceful, but if public or private property is attacked, the state must step in to protect its citizens,” Prabowo warned. He added that while peaceful assembly must be respected, there are signs of actions “outside the law, even leaning towards treason and terrorism.”

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin echoed the warning, stating that the military and police would take “firm action” against rioters and looters targeting homes or state institutions. Their statements came after the residence of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was looted overnight, despite soldiers guarding the property, AFP reported. Several lawmakers’ homes have also reportedly been ransacked in recent days.

Protesters have voiced multiple grievances, but anger was particularly sparked by revelations that lawmakers were receiving housing allowances nearly ten times higher than Jakarta’s minimum wage.

Amnesty International Indonesia criticised the government’s response. “The president’s statement was insensitive to the complaints and aspirations voiced during the demonstrations,” said executive director Usman Hamid. He urged the state to implement comprehensive policy changes addressing public demands.

Protests have spread from Jakarta to other major cities, including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, and Medan. In Makassar, a fire set at a council building killed three people on Friday, while another man was beaten to death by a mob under suspicion of being an intelligence officer, according to local disaster agency official Muhammad Fadli Tahar. A local council building on Lombok island and a police headquarters in Surabaya were also set ablaze.

Social media platform TikTok temporarily suspended its live feature in Indonesia, which has more than 100 million users, amid fears that videos were fueling unrest. Classes at some international schools in Jakarta were moved online, and civil servants were asked to work from home as protests were expected to continue.

Jakarta police said patrols would be deployed to protect citizens and restore a sense of security. Analysts note that while Prabowo’s speech may calm political elites temporarily, broader public frustration over economic hardship and perceived government privileges persists.

The crisis has forced Prabowo to cancel a planned trip to China for a military parade commemorating the end of World War II. He has pledged an investigation into the death of motorcycle driver Affan Kurniawan, detaining seven officers involved for further inquiry, and promised support for the driver’s family.

“The protests are the biggest and most violent since Prabowo took office less than a year ago,” said Dedi Dinarto, senior associate at public policy advisory firm Global Counsel. “Unless deeper economic grievances and public discontent over government perks are addressed, these measures alone are unlikely to fully calm the unrest.”