11/09/2025
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ข๐๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฐ ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌโ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ. โ ๐ด
It all began with President Prabowo Subianto, heeding the people to wave the Indonesian flag as celebration of Indonesiaโs Independence Day by 17th of August. Instead, videos across various platforms emerged with the weeks and days leading up to this; and soon, these inspired the many unsatisfied Indonesian citizens. A fictional pirate flag flew high atop fishermen boats, over the streets of Jakarta, on the backs of trucks, and all across the country, even hoisting it up next to their sacred national flag, the Merah Putih (Red and White).
Avid fans of the hit franchise knew what this immediately meant, and as many protesters have voiced out. It wasnโt a symbol of disrespect. Rather, they say it is to show dissatisfaction to the current governmentโs choices.
In One Piece, hoisting a pirate flag is an open rebellion against the World Government. Now, a real life government sees one of these fictional pirate flags as a national threat. Indonesian authorities have condemned the use of the Straw Hat Jolly Roger, calling it a โsystematic attempt to divide the nation.โ Officials warned that such actions could amount to treason. Shops selling the flags were investigated, with police confiscating pirate banners from stores and public demonstrations, which only amplified the protests.
A reality reflecting fiction as each pirate flag in the hit franchise carries the value of the crew it represents. The grinning skull with a straw hat became a symbol of freedom to many characters they come across, and beyond finding treasures, the Straw Hat Pirates led by Monkey D. Luffy fight against oppression and inequality, a theme that resonated with many Indonesians. A month after, the Nepalis protesters wave the same pirate flag.
When the Nepali government banned 26 social media platforms for โmisinformationโ, activists considered it a suppression of their free speech and followed Indonesia's movement. It triggered a decisive and fast response; a leaderless protest by the youth flooded the streets of Nepal with pirate flags carrying their response.
Many have died, thousands injured, but eventually, this forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign. The pirate flag became more than fiction and inspiration. To these protesters, it was an undying love for a country with a government that oppressed them.
It didnโt end there. On social media, slogans such as โLuffy Would Free Palestineโ and memes from around the world began circulating, adapting the Straw Hat emblem to voice their own frustrations against their governments.
The use of popular culture in protest is not new. In Thailand, demonstrators adopted the three-finger salute from The Hunger Games as a sign of resistance. In the United States, women marched wearing the red cloak and white bonnet from The Handmaidโs Tale to protest against anti-abortion legislation. In Lebanon, protesters painted their faces as the Joker.
These examples show how ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ. Whether itโs a pirate flag, a salute, or a costume, pop culture has continued to offer symbols that resonate across borders, reminding governments that stories of rebellion, freedom, and justice do not remain confined to the screen or page.
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Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ezvj4d111o
https://indonesiasentinel.com/one-piece-pirate-flag-rises-across-indonesia-ahead-the-independence-day/
https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/nepal-gen-z-protest-indonesia-one-piece-pirate-flag-symbol-13932477.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/16/indonesians-raise-anime-pirate-flag-in-protest-as-nation-marks-independence
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/how-one-piece-became-gen-zs-battle-cry-against-oppression-2785263-2025-09-10
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/9/9/protesters-torch-nepal-parliament-as-pm-resigns-amid-turmoil
https://apnews.com/general-news-movies-a787f542a3e24a559149965098fca370
https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/handmaids-tale-red-womens-rights-19761615.php
https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/news/articles/981055/demonstrators-have-turned-the-joker-into-a-symbol-of-protest
Photo Source:
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/10/asia/nepal-protests-gen-z-outcome-intl-hnk
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/29/asia/indonesia-protests-police-latam-intl
