Pirate anime flag becomes tool of protest ahead of Indonesia's Independence Day
JAKARTA – The red-and-white national flag is a common feature to be found ahead of the country's Independence Day, adorning roads and houses across the country.
But this year, a flag from a popular Japanese anime One Piece has reportedly been spotted in various spots and events instead of the national flag, which has prompted the government's ire.
The 'Jolly Roger' pirate flag, showcasing a skull with a straw hat on a black background, has been touted by social media users as a symbol of their discontent at the state of Indonesia's democracy, amid various issues currently ailing the country.
'The red-and-white flag is too sacred for us to raise right now, at a time when many people are still colonized by those in power,' an X user posted last Thursday.
The user added that the One Piece flag represented 'the spirit of resistance against injustice' that mars the country.
The sentiment was shared by thousands of other social media users, one of whom also recreated the 80th Independence Day logo in the style of the One Piece flag.
The movement has since prompted stern reactions from the government and the House of Representatives, who deemed the flying of the flag it a 'provocative' act that attempts to fragment Indonesia's unity.
'We have received information from security agencies that there are indeed [systematic] efforts to divide the nation's unity [through the One Piece movement],' House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said on Thursday, as quoted by Antara.
In a press statement a day later, Coordinating Politics and Security Minister Budi Gunawan warned residents who raised One Piece flags on Independence Day of the 'criminal consequences' of their actions.
Budi cited the prevailing 2009 law on national flags, which criminalizes insults to the national flag.
Civil societies have since rebuked the government's statement over the flag and noted that it should simply be taken as a form of criticism against the government's performance.
Muhamad Isnur of rights group the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) said that as long as people raise the One Piece flags just below the red-and-white flags, there should be no concern over its existence.
'The flag is a sign of the residents' love for the country and participation in democracy. It needs to be honored instead of being perceived as an act of treason, which is terribly misguided,' Isnur said on Saturday.
He further noted how the flag, which is derived from a widely beloved anime, was not different from flags of mass organizations or football clubs that people raised out of their love for each institution.
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