Indonesian officials have condemned the public display of a pirate flag from the popular Japanese anime series One Piece, with one lawmaker labeling the act as a potential form of treason against the government.
The statements came in response to viral social media videos showingStraw Hats’ Jolly Roger from One Piece, being flown on trucks alongside the Indonesian national flag ahead of the country’s 80th Independence Day on Aug 17.
Straw Hats’ Jolly Roger seen as symbol of resistance by Indonesian lawmaker:
Firman Soebagyo, a member of the House of Representatives from the Golkar Party faction, said the act was a form of provocation and represented a decline in the understanding of the state ideology. Speaking at the Senayan Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Thursday, July 31, 2025, he described the flag as a symbol of resistance against the government.
“Therefore, it might even be part of treason. Well, this is not allowed. This must be dealt with firmly,” Firman was reported saying.
He stated that the matter had attracted the attention of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP), suggesting that the ease of spreading information through digital technology facilitated such provocations. He called for strengthening education on Pancasila, the state ideology, from an early age.
Since the flags were seen flying on trucks, the lawmaker further proposed a revision of the Road Traffic and Transportation Law to clarify that public vehicles should be used strictly for public service and not as tools for any form of campaign.
Raising One Piece’s flag “an attempt to divide nation”
Adding to the government’s concerns, Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad of the Gerindra Party said on Friday, Aug 1, 2025, that he believed the flag-raising was part of a “systematic movement” intended to undermine national unity and that it was a coordinated attempt to divide the nation.
He confirmed that he had received reports on the matter from government and intelligence agencies. Dasco urged the public to remain united and did not specify whether the perceived movement was of domestic or foreign origin.
However, not everyone was in complete opposition to the viral act. Deddy Yevri Sitorus, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), offered a different perspective. Speaking in Bali on the same day, he said the trend should be viewed as a form of public criticism rather than a direct political threat.
“This should be seen as a public expression of criticism, which is part of a democratic society,” Deddy said, noting that such symbolic acts were preferable to potentially violent street protests. He added that the act does not constitute criminal behavior and falls under freedom of expression, provided the anime flag is not flown higher than the national flag.
Current Indonesian law does not explicitly prohibit the flying of organizational or cultural symbols on private property. The law primarily stipulates that the Indonesian national flag must be given the position of highest honor when flown alongside other flags.
The Straw Hats’ Jolly Roger is often as a symbol of freedom and defiance against an oppressive and authoritarian World Government in the series.
The response from the Indonesian officials mirrors the actions of the fictional authority the flag opposes and by doing so, they have inadvertently reinforced the symbol’s narrative meaning.