If you've been following the news, large-scale demonstrations are being held in several cities across Indonesia to protest the increase in allowances and facilities for members of the House of Representatives (DPR). During the demonstration, an online motorcycle taxi driver was run over by a police armored vehicle. This incident sparked outrage among the Indonesian people.
During the unrest in Jakarta, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, the homes of three members of the DPR were looted, which is considered to have sparked public anger.
Now, we're not discussing politics, but rather our work as journalists covering an event that ended in chaos.
This incident took place in Lhokseumawe City, Aceh, Indonesia, on August 31, 2025. The fun walk ended in chaos due to the unprofessionalism of the organizers. They failed to distribute door prize coupons early, resulting in many participants missing out.
While distributing the participant coupons, the organizers were pushed by the crowd, and the coupons were scattered towards the crowd. As a result, participants scrambled for them, and some were trampled. This was despite the fact that there were many children in the crowd.
When the raffle was about to be drawn, many participants didn't receive protest tickets, causing the situation to spiral out of control. Eventually, the crowd scrambled for prizes that were actually being offered to participants through a raffle.
Photographing a chaotic crowd is certainly not easy. On the one hand, there are many exciting events taking place. But on the other hand, we also have to protect ourselves from being crushed and our phones from dropping. I did photograph the incident with my phone.
Here, I'm showing several photos of the chaos at Hiraq Field, Lhokseumawe. Some participants fainted after being crushed by the crowd. There are also photos of participants looting prizes.
Many uncontrolled incidents occur amidst the chaos. But a photographer must remain calm to avoid missing the moment.[]